Cristobal then went to play for the University of Miami, where he was a four-year letterman between 1988 and 1992. Cristobal played under Hall of Fame coaches Jimmy Johnson and Dennis Erickson during the rise of the University of Miami as one of the nation's most elite college football programs.[1] During his four seasons at the University of Miami, he was a member of two national championship-winning teams (1989 and 1991). In 1992, Cristobal earned First-team All-Big East Conference as an offensive tackle.
In 1993, he graduated from the University of Miami in 1993 with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Miami School of Business, and later earned a master's degree there in 2001.