lol j/k No it's not breaking but Oregon did just officially announce it.
Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal finished off his coaching staff on Wednesday, as he announced the hiring of assistant coach Alex Mirabal. Mirabal, who spent the last five seasons as the offensive line coach at Marshall, will coach the centers and guards along the offensive line for the Ducks.
“I’m excited to welcome Alex and his family to the Oregon family,” said Cristobal. “I’ve known Alex for a long time, and I can’t wait for our student-athletes to start working with him. His attention to detail and leadership ability are part of what makes him a great teacher. Our big guys up front will love his passion for the game.”
Mirabal’s league-leading eight Conference USA All-Conference first or second team selections on the offensive line from 2013-17; helped pave the way for the Thundering Herd to put together a 44-22 record, three 10-win seasons, a 4-0 record in bowl games, two Conference USA East Division titles and a win in the 2014 Conference USA Championship Game.
Marshall’s offense was among the best in college football during Mirabal’s five seasons and in 2014, joined Oregon as the only two programs to rank in the top 12 nationally in scoring offense (3rd), rushing yards (6th) and passing yards (12th). The 2014 offensive line featured a pair of Conference USA All-Conference first team choices in Chris Jasperse and Clint Van Horn, as Marshall ranked second nationally in total offense per game (559.2), scoring 40-plus points in 11 of 14 games en route to a 13-1 overall mark and a final ranking of No. 22 in the Coaches Poll.
During the 2014 season, Jasperse was on the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award watch lists, while Van Horn was among the elite centers in the country on the Rimington Trophy watch list. After the dominant offensive season by Marshall, Mirabal was a finalist for the 2014 Football Scoop Offensive Line Coach of the Year Award.
In 2017, Marshall led Conference USA and ranked fourth in the FBS in sacks allowed with just 11 over 13 games, helping quarterback Chase Lifton throw for over 3,000 yards and extend his streak of consecutive games with a touchdown pass to 27, which was the second-longest steak among active FBS quarterbacks at the time.
Including three Conference USA All-Freshman team selections, Mirabal had at least one lineman earn league postseason recognition each of his five seasons at Marshall, including two or more honorees four times.
Prior to Marshall, Mirabal served as the assistant head coach for six years at FIU (2007-12) under Cristobal, working with the offensive line his final three years after three years as the head of the tight ends room.
In 2012, FIU offensive linemen Caylin Hauptmann and Rupert Bryan, Jr. were named second and third team All-Sun Belt Conference selections, respectively, by Phil Steele. During FIU's impressive two-year run in 2010 and 2011, Mirabal's offensive line was regarded as one of the best in the Sun Belt, allowing just 20 and 15 sacks, respectively. Behind a much-improved offensive line, FIU continually broken single-season and single-game offensive records.
In 2010, after an impressive victory over Troy -- the school's first against the Trojans when the Panthers rushed for an FIU-record 448 yards -- the entire offensive line was awarded a Helmet Sticker by ESPN.com.
A long-time Miami-Dade high school football coach, Mirabal taught and coached around south Florida starting in 1993 all the way up to his arrival at FIU. He helped lead Miami Christopher Columbus High School to three district championships in four years as the Explorers offensive line coach and run game coordinator.
During the winter of 2007, Mirabal was honored with inclusion on the coaching staff of Team USA Football, a Miami-Dade and Broward County high school all-star team that competed in and advanced to the championship round of the NFL Global Junior Championship XI.
Mirabal began his coaching career at Christopher Columbus in 1993 by taking on a variety of roles. He was the Explorers' assistant track and field coach and a volunteer varsity football offensive line coach for six years. Mirabal was the school's junior varsity head football coach in 1994-95 and then took on the program's strength and conditioning coordinator responsibilities from 1996-2001. During that time, he also assumed the titles of varsity running backs coach in 1996-97 and then varsity offensive line coach from 1997-2001.
Mirabal moved on to G. Holmes Braddock Senior High School from 2001-03 and worked as the Bulldogs' offensive line coach and offensive coordinator in 2001-02. Beginning in 2003, he returned to Columbus and became an integral part of the Explorers' football success.
A native Miamian, Mirabal graduated with an associate's degree in general studies from Miami Dade College in 1991 and two years later earned his bachelor's degree in social studies education while a member of the Dean's List at FIU.
He and his wife, Berta, have two sons, Alejandro and Nicolas.
College Coaching History
2018- Oregon (Centers & Guards)
2013-17 Marshall (Offensive Line)
2010-12 FIU (Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line)
2007-09 FIU (Assistant Head Coach/Tight Ends)
