Dolphins’ Holland, who played for UM’s Cristobal at Oregon, has a message for Canes fans

A six-pack of Miami Hurricanes notes on a Tuesday:

▪ For those who have already lost some faith in Mario Cristobal after a 5-5 start to his Hurricanes reign, one of his former top players offered a plea for patience in recent days.

“Rome wasn’t built in one day,” Dolphins safety Jevon Holland, who played for Cristobal at Oregon, told me Friday.

“I don’t understand why people think it’s that’s quick. He’s coming in, trying to make things happen, which obviously he’s doing. It’s a slow process. Give it some time, man! Jesus, stop being so impatient! And quote that!

“Tell them I said stop being so impatient, give the man time to work, get recruiting classes in there and get the regime and standard established so he can have his people in there, the types of guys he wants in there.

“I’m sure there are a lot of guys on the team now that are already the type of guys he wants. It’s just taking a minute to establish a standard. Let the man go to work like I know he can.”

Cristobal said recently that his program is “not for everybody.”

So what do you need to succeed playing for him?

“You have got to love the game,” Holland said. “That’s basically it. If you don’t love the game, you’re not going to succeed because he’s passionate about playing. You see that in how he coaches. He’s passionate about the game.

“If you’re not the type of guy that wants to succeed or be the best you can be, there’s going to be some turmoil between you and the coach and it just won’t work out. He’s too wired, too high strung, too focused, too locked in about the game to be [giving less than full effort].”

▪ Quarterback Jacurri Brown’s performance against Georgia Tech (14 for 19 for 136 yards and 3 TDs throwing and 19 rushes for 87 yards) was very encouraging, and he could become a special player if he can improve his intermediate and deep throws.

He overthrew receivers on two long passes Saturday, and coaches (quarterback coach Frank Ponce and/or an independent coach) will need to work with him on mechanics this offseason.

Offensive coordinator Josh Gattis acknowledged Monday that Brown must work on his touch.

“It does take time and concentrated effort [to improve that],” Gattis said. “He’s continued to improve his fundamentals. Coming out of high school he was more known as a runner. So that’s a key piece to his game that he wants to continue to improve. He’s taking those steps. Any freshman player, it’s always going to take time to fully develop.”

▪ The receiver snap counts from Saturday’s game against Georgia Tech shed light on how this staff views its talent at the position: Colbie Young (57), Frank Ladson (37), Xavier Restrepo (31; but still working his way back from injury); Jacolby George (24), Brashard Smith (23); Michael Redding (5).

Romello Brinson and Key’Shawn Smith didn’t play offensive snaps.

All of those players have remaining eligibility after this season, but the group assuredly will be upgraded this offseason. Young has two years remaining.

▪ Young guards Anez Cooper and Laurance Seymore played well against Georgia Tech.

Seymore “could have gone in the tank when he wasn’t playing earlier, but he just kept working,” Gattis said. “Injuries led to his opportunity, and he’s capitalized. One of his greatest strengths is his ability to move, really good lateral movement. And he’s a fighter. Our guys fought on Saturday. That’s a key thing that stood out, how hard we played. And that’s something you can’t coach.”

▪ Two transfer pickups who have played less than expected: cornerback Daryl Porter, who hasn’t been able to overtake DJ Ivey and played 13 snaps against Georgia Tech, and UCLA transfer Caleb Johnson (11 snaps against the Yellow Jackets).

After experimenting with two natural middle linebackers (Corey Flagg Jr. and Johnson) playing together earlier this month, UM instead played Flagg with freshman Wesley Bissainthe, who impressed in his 46 snaps and is obviously a building block moving forward.

▪ With Jacob Lichtenstein and Jared Harrison-Hunte injured and Leonard Taylor leaving during the game with an injury, UM was short-handed at defensive tackle Saturday and used freshman Ahmad Moten for 13 snaps, UAB transfer Antonio Moultrie for 30, and Jordan Miller for 17.

Starter Darrell Jackson Jr. played 43 and like Taylor, should be a fixture on this line moving forward.

▪ Bob Wischusen and Dan Orlovsky call Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. UM-Clemson game on ESPN... ACC Network picked up the 8 p.m. Nov. 26 finale against Pittsburgh at Hard Rock Stadium.