The ReUnion: Miami Legends Sound Off on the CFP Title Game

It was a star-studded night at Hard Rock Cafe Hollywood as Hard Rock Bet hosted and presented an hour-long, long-form stage discussion bringing together Miami Hurricanes royalty ahead of Monday’s College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Hosted by ACC Network’s Eric Mac Lain, the conversation featured Hall of Famers Michael Irvin, Ed Reed, Edgerrin James, Devin Hester, and Ray Lewis, who reflected on their playing days while offering pointed insight into the Hurricanes’ championship run.

Michael Irvin and the Origins of “The U”

Michael Irvin lead off with the incredible origin story of “The U“.

“You guys do know I was starting to work with Chris Berman and Tom Jackson. And these guys always — right when you watch them before I got there — he would always ask Tom Jackson, ‘Where is he from?’ And Tom would say, because that’s where he went to school or whatever.

And this was — I’m working while we had so many players in the league.

And I knew — I was driving to work in Connecticut — he’s going to ask me, ‘Where’s this guy from? Where is that guy from?’ And honestly, I didn’t want to say hurricane, no nothing with cane, no cocaine, no kind of pain.

And that’s how I just kind of came up with ‘The U.’ We just started saying, ‘The U, The U — he’s from The U, he’s from The U.’

And then me being on TV — and all of these dudes balling out — we made it. We just kept saying it all the time.

I came back home that next offseason — I talked with President Shalala, who was President of the University at the time. And she was like, ‘We really liked that “U” stuff.’ And then we did the commercial.

And that’s when you saw when I was like: ‘This is not enough. This is too much. But this is just right.’

It always has been, always will be all about The U. That’s how it started. And now we’re rolling.”

Devin Hester on a Cane leading The Canes

Devin Hester then elaborated on the impact of having Mario Cristobal, a two-time National Champion with Miami, lead the team forward:

“It means a lot, because a lot of universities don’t understand how deep our family runs. This isn’t just a football team. When we’re on the sideline watching our little brothers play, they really are our little brothers.

And if you’ve got a little brother, you know exactly what we’re talking about. That bond is real. I give credit to the older guys, because they passed that mindset down to players like myself when we were coming up. We learned early on that this isn’t just a team — it’s a family.”

Michael Irvin on the new 12-Team Playoff format for the CFP

Michael Irvin entertained again after being asked how many college football national championships he would have won if there had been a playoff during his era:

“If we would’ve gone through that, we’d have won them all. You know what I mean? Because now you take opinion out of it — it’s about the game, it’s on the field. And that’s what I love about the way it’s set up right now.

Think about this: so many people in this so-called college football process said Miami didn’t deserve to be here, didn’t deserve to get this opportunity. And the game you played the first week of the season? That shouldn’t matter.

We can’t ever get to a place where decisions override results on the football field. This should shut all of that down — never talking about it again. Because people are going to say, ‘Yeah, they said that about the 2025 Miami Hurricanes, and they went and won it all.’ So what the hell do they know?

That’s why it’s important for Miami not just to get in — but to finish it. So all these people stop talking. They got nothing to do with your decision.

We’re not supposed to be here — and I like it that way, when everybody’s against us. And here again, we’re going again.

In ’83, they had the best team ever built. They came into Miami wearing red — and we whipped that ass.”

Ray Lewis on dominating at every position

Ray Lewis on swagger, and the importance of dominating at every position.

“I think when you really pay attention to this Miami team, what stands out most is the dominance at every position. When we all played, you could look to the person next to you and know they were the best in the world — and they knew it too.

So when we walked out there, our swagger was different. The way you thought was different, because you knew you weren’t in this battle by yourself. You knew you had warriors next to you.

And just calling it like it is — this Indiana team, I love what they’re doing. But when you talk about physical football, we’ve always been a physical football team. This is going to be a very, very physical game.

And I hate to tell you this, but I’m always riding The U on this.”

Devin Hester on the impact of special teams

The greatest kick returner of all-time weighed in on the importance of Miami’s special teams unit:

“This year, this team is playing on another level. When you look at what Coach Cristobal has done with this unit, you can tell they’re playing for each other — and that’s what we’ve been praying for and hoping to see.

When it comes to special teams, any way you can help flip the field matters. That’s what special teams are all about: coming in and making a big play that changes the momentum. A big return, a blocked punt — that can change the entire game.

So if this week we get one or two plays like that on special teams, man, that could be the difference in the game.

As a returner you’re thinking: Just make the play. Make the play. One block, and I’m out. That’s all you need.”

Ray Lewis talks Miami’s D-Line

Ray Lewis on how a dominant defensive line impacts an entire defense, and could be the deciding factor in Monday’s football game.

“In any part of this game, you’re going to win it in the trenches. Those front four — legendary. You can go all the way back to Jerome Brown, to Warren Sapp, and on and on.

When the defensive line dominates the game, they change what the quarterback thinks he can do, what the running back thinks he can do. You don’t even have to blitz.

If you ever notice something about us historically, we don’t blitz. We say we’re going to beat our man, do that job, then come back and do another job.

And when you watch this young crew — Bain, and the rivalry he has with those guys — the way they challenge each other to get to the quarterback, man, that’s special.

I’m telling you, I think that’s going to be the deciding factor on Monday night.”

Edgerrin James on Mark Fletcher Jr.

Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Edgerrin James weighed in on the importance of Hurricanes RB Mark Fletcher Jr.

“Well, first of all, you’ve got to commend him, because he reminds me of Ed Reed. He could’ve gone to the pros a year early, but he made the decision to stay at the University of Miami.

That decision helped the school continue its dominance, and it says a lot about the player.

He’s taken on the role of a leader — and that’s what a lot of teams are lacking. Leadership from someone who’s been on the big stage, who’s been there and done it, and who shows it by the way they carry themselves.

That’s what Mark is giving you this year. He’s showing true leadership. He’s not afraid of competition. He understands his position. He understands his role.

With all the different backs coming in, he’s not backing down. And that’s one thing you’ve always liked about the University of Miami. You’ve had rooms with Portis, Gore, McGahee — nobody backed down. Everybody stepped up and challenged each other.

That’s what Fletcher’s doing, and that’s what I appreciate about him.”

Ed Reed discusses Miami’s defense

Ed Reed offered his thoughts on the Hurricanes hard hitting defense.

“Yeah, I mean, get the ball — first and foremost. I’m a ball guy. I like the hitting too, but that’s also how guys end up getting hurt, and the game is different now.

For me, it’s really about the communication and shutting teams down. We had a couple little mishaps early in the season, and I think that woke us up.

But like Mike said, you put us in the playoffs — this is what we’re about. We practice for moments like this.

I think the defense has carried us to a certain degree. They’re just playing the way they’re playing. And to your question earlier and now — these guys are really locked in on what they want.

You can see the old tradition in it — the things we saw and lived. Mike is there. That excitement isn’t fake. We love that.

You’ve got all of us watching on TV or being there with that same energy. So yeah, these guys are doing exactly what they’re supposed to be doing right now — and we love it.”

Ray Lewis and the evolution of the game

Ray Lewis shared what he thinks about on the sideline as a former player.

“You’re in the moment, right? I’ve done it. I know what a loss feels like. I know what a win feels like. I know what missing a tackle feels like. I know what making a play feels like — I know all of it.

So when you’re watching, you’re transferring energy. You’re trying to give them confidence — telling them, ‘Just do what you do. Don’t worry about anything else. Just do what you do.’

That mentality — a lot of people don’t have it. Sports is one thing. Everything we did was war.

You’re putting a man right in front of you, and he’s saying, ‘Tackle me. Don’t tackle me.’ That mentality — it’s different. I really believe that.”

And the game is different now. It’s a different game.

Ed was just talking about this — it’s a different mentality. You remember, every Saturday morning you woke up and said one thing: somebody’s getting knocked out today.

You can’t say that anymore. So defenders have to adjust their game.

And the worst rule ever is having kids doing their job, accidentally hitting someone helmet-to-helmet, and then getting kicked out for this week and next week on a bang-bang play.

We’re the product. It’s insane where the game has gone. But if you understand what the team is trying to accomplish now, all you can tell these guys is: take it one play at a time.”

Michael Irvin and Miami’s History, NIL

Michael Irvin speaking on the differences in generations, the NIL, and how to connect through destiny.

“One of the things Coach and I talked about at the beginning of the year — with all the ‘Is The U back?’ talk — was that we can’t motivate these guys with our history. You have to motivate them with their destiny.

Our history? We came from nothing. We had twenty dollars for the weekend. We were broke. These guys have NIL. They don’t know that kind of suffering — and they don’t want to know it.

So sharing those old stories doesn’t really help. But talking to them about moments like this — about playing in games like this — that speaks to their destiny, not our history. That’s what’s getting them there.

And now they’re seeing it. When you’re the talk of the town, every girl you know is asking for your number — you don’t have to ask her for hers. It’s a whole different world.

And they’re feeling that different world now, because they’re in championship circles.”

Keys of the game: Miami vs Indiana

Finally, the conversation wrapped discussing the keys for the game.

Ed Reed

“Yeah — score more points than they do.

Score more points than they do. You understand? Just one more than they do. It could be 99–100. A win’s a win today, baby. We don’t care.

But seriously, the keys to winning are not turning the ball over, taking away the explosive plays, and persevering. This team is strong. This is an older team. They’re patient.

But the game still has to be played. Protect the ball, and we’ll be all right.”

Devin Hester

“I think we win the game. The key is dominating with our D-line. If our D-line comes out and plays lights out, puts pressure on that quarterback, we win this game.”

Ray Lewis

“It’s simple to me. Can we stop their run by rushing just four people? Because if we can, and we can hunt Mendoza, this game turns a whole different way.

And if we run Fletcher — if you’ve studied enough film on Indiana — I’m interested to see what their interior D-line does against our offensive line. That’s the biggest key of the game.

And when you stunt and get caught in it, that’s a bad day. Because of the way we run the football. The way we combo things up.

Watching our offensive line block is like poetry. It’s like a puzzle. Fletcher is so patient — the way he gets behind his blockers, he understands it completely.

I think that’s going to be the biggest difference in this game. And if you keep Mendoza on the sideline, the Heisman Trophy man can’t beat you.”

Edgerrin James

“For me, they’ve got to capitalize on their opportunities. That’s one thing — we kind of let the Ole Miss game be closer than it should’ve been.

We’ve got to capitalize, be disciplined, and whoever wins the turnover battle wins the game.“

Michael Irvin

“Listen — Indiana’s been told they’re the greatest of all time. They’re eight-point favorites right now. You make this a dirty-ass game.

We’ve been in fights all the way through, so we’re used to a brawl. We’re used to a dirty-ass game. They’ve been blowing everybody out.

So if this game gets late and it’s close, they’re going to start tightening up — and we’re used to it. That’s all it is, because we’ve been fighting like this all year.

Make it a dirty game. Make sure they know they played a team today.

And understand this — this is your home. You never let anyone come into your home, especially in a championship game, and beat you.”