Mario Cristobal is bringing home another Miamian.
This one, however, will be on the coaching staff.
Multiples sources confirmed to the Miami Herald that App State offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Frank Ponce, the wide receivers coach under Cristobal at FIU from 2007 through 2012, will be the Hurricanes new quarterbacks coach, first reported Wednesday by CaneSport.
Ponce, 50, graduated from FIU in 1997. He was born in Nicaragua and played at Miami Senior High, where his bio says he “was the team MVP and a finalist for the 1988 Miami Herald Hispanic Athlete of the Year Award.” He was the starting quarterback for two years at Arizona Western College, where he earned his associate’s degree in 1990.
Ponce, whose new UM offensive coordinator will be former Michigan OC/wide receivers coach Josh Gattis, led a Mountaineers offense that ran a shotgun spread and ranked 30th nationally of 130 FBS teams, with 441.3 yards-per-game. App State was ranked 22nd in scoring, averaging 34.5 points. Its passing offense was 54th in the nation, averaging 249.1 yards a game.
His rushing game there was strong as well, ranking 33rd nationally, with 192.2 yards a game.
UM played App State on Sept. 11 this past season, narrowly winning 25-23. Before the game, former Canes coach Manny Diaz said he had known Ponce “for a while.’’
“I do consider Frank a friend,’’ Diaz said. He’s a really good football coach. It’s really cool he got his opportunity to be an offensive coordinator. It’s well deserved.’’
Ponce also coached at Louisville as the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2019 and 2020, and served his first stint at App State (co-offensive coordinator/passing game/quarterbacks) from 2013 to 2018.
Before coaching with Cristobal at FIU, Ponce was the head coach/offensive coordinator at Miami Senior High (2004-06), the head coach at Miami Coral Reef (2002-2003), and served in offensive assistant positions at Miami Central, Miami Northwestern, Coral Gables and La Progresiva Presbyterian School.
Ponce replaces former UM offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee, who left to become the head coach at SMU.
Cristobal also brought back close friend and UM offensive line coach Alex Mirabal, who played with Cristobal at Miami Columbus; and new UM running backs coach Kevin Smith, who starred at Miami Southridge.
