NAPLES, FL — Ray Lewis knows what the standard is at Miami.
He also knows how much the game has changed since he wore the Hurricanes uniform over three decades ago.
“The standard is so high,” Lewis told USA TODAY Sports during a visit to Naples, Fla. on Saturday, Aug. 22. “Winning, having winning seasons is one thing. But at that school, championships are everything.”
That standard, Lewis said, hasn't changed. The path to reaching it has.
Miami has lost a handful of key pieces on defense this offseason, and Lewis acknowledged that the current college football model makes it increasingly difficult for programs to build continuity.
“You used to have kids who can work with and develop them and get them to the point,” Lewis said. “But that no longer
exists, you know? Now you have to reconstruct your team every freaking second, because somebody's leaving, somebody's coming in.”
Lewis said that makes Mario Cristobal's job particularly difficult, even as the expectation remains the same.
“The standard is so high,” Lewis said. “... If you're not competing for the ring, then ... not that it's a lost season, but it's not the one that you were looking for.”
After reaching last season's national title game, the Hurricanes have their work cut out for them on defense, having to replace two elite edge rushers in Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor. Miami does return eight starters on offense, including do-it-all wide receiver Malachi Toney and running back Mark Fletcher, along with getting a pair of Duke transfers in quarterback Darian Mensah and wide receiver Cooper Barkate.
For Lewis, the players returning to Miami after experiencing the program's run to the College Football Playoff can be just as important as the newcomers. Fletcher, named a second-teamer on USA TODAY Sports preseason All-America team, is one of them.
The running back rushed for 1,192 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, including 507 yards across Miami's four CFP games against Texas A&M, Ohio State, Ole Miss and Indiana. His return gives the Hurricanes a player who has already experienced the highs and lows of a championship run.
That's what excites Lewis most.
“Mentality," Lewis said when asked what excites him most about Fletcher. “He's tasted defeat. If they get back there, he knows what it looks like. And this time, you'll have finished the race.”
That's the value Lewis sees in experience, and why the Canes could be in position to win the final game of the year.
“That's what I think experience does,” he said. “I don't care how smart you think you are. The greatest experience in life is the greatest teacher in life.
“I think having guys like that come back, they're on the warpath."
Follow Sports Reporter Alex Martin on X at @NP_AlexMartin or via email: amartin@usatodayco.com. For additional high school sports coverage, be sure to follow USA TODAY High School Sports on Instagram and X.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Can Miami win a national championship? Hall of Famer Ray Lewis thinks so
