Miami's Defensive Pieces were Already In Place, It Just Took A New Coach To Lead
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MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Miami's 2024 defense ranked as the No. 52 team in the country. It might seem higher than what was produced on the field, but it was the biggest liability for a team searching for its first College Football Playoff berth.
This season, the Hurricanes rank as the No. 4 defensive team in the country. The main difference is the defensive coordinator, Corey Hetherman.
"I've got a lot of respect for Corey," Indiana head coach Cignetti said. "He did a tremendous job. I hated to see him go. I hold him in very high regard. He's one of the best football coaches I've ever been around. His day-in-and-day-out intensity and his commitment to the game are unparalleled."
Hetherman was a godsend for a team that had true national championship aspirations, and it was a team that didn't change much on the defensive side of the ball.
It was clear that there were weak points in the secondary last season, but elsewhere it was still the same team as last year. Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor were still the top edge rushers for the Canes, while Wesley Bissainthe and OJ Frederique Jr. still balanced the middle and back field.
It helps that players, like Bain, could be fully healthy this season, aiding Hertherman's ascent to one of the best coordinators in the country.
"Seems like every true competitor takes those setbacks and turns it into something positive that launches them and elevates their game and their spirit and their ability to be a great teammate, and I think this is a perfect case and an example of that," head coach Mario Cristobal said about Bain. "Now that he's fully healthy, he dedicated himself this off-season to staying at his optimal weight, which is about 275, and trimmed down his body fat, certainly increased his lean muscle mass. He's become a great leader, and now he's, I would say, confident enough to be outspoken as a leader, as well, which is a massive step for him and his ability on this team and this community has been awesome."
A few portal additions later to plug in some holes, like everywhere around the country, the biggest addition was Hetherman in January. His intense look, which he gave during his first press conference in orange and green, was only the beginning of what he was about to accomplish in his first season.
The Hurricanes instantly adopted his new motto, "ESV": Excitement, Swarm, Violence, and the players latched on instantly.
It didn't take long to see that this motto would be the perfect analogy for this Canes defense. The Hurricanes beat up Notre Dame in the season opener, and Bain let everyone in on what it means to play free and dominant defense.
Read More: 'Excitement, Swarm, Violence': Corey Hetherman's Motto For Miami's Defense
"It means a lot," Bain said after defeating the Fighting Irish. "No matter what the offense is doing, the defense is coming to play. No matter if they are winning by a lot, struggling a little bit, or starting slow, the defense from the first snap to the last, we play violent, we play fast, and we play physical. That's our motto. First whistle to the last, we play the same way. And if we get tired, we've got someone coming up next that's going to do the same thing. That's coach Hetherman's motto, "ESV".
Now 15 games in, star transfer safety Jakobe Thomas has bled that motto through and through as well as the defense.
"I've always lived by his motto before I got here," Thomas said. "It's just play this game as hard as you can, swarm the ball, because you never know what can happen, and play violently. No, since I've been here, it's the motto. That's what we live by, and we talk about our swarm all the time. That's who we are as a defense, that's our identity."
Hetherman simply broke it down to fundamentals and freedom for this sleeping defensive juggernaut. It is what has allowed him to be the agreeably free and intense personality that Cristobal wanted out of his DC. He wanted a teacher, and he got it in Hetherman.
"That's been the emphasis from day one," Hetherman said. "After that it's all fundamentals and technique. There's only so many techniques you can play, only many fundamentals you have. Even the freshmen that have joined our team here to start the next semester, right away they want to learn Xs and Os and plays. To me, don't worry about any of that. Learn about flat technique, skiff technique, quarter push, quarter curls, where your hands are, do you start on the cuff? It's the little fundamentals of details. If you are going to learn how to play football, you can play football."
Those basics will be the most important thing when dealing with No. 1 Indiana in the National Championship game. Hetherman knows it will come down to the little details, but also making sure they handle one thing.
"I think we have to play with confidence," Hetherman said. "I think we have to play fast. We always talk, the No. 1 thing for us is our communication. Ialways tell the defense, I don't care if you are in the right call or the wrong call, as long as all 11 guys are on the same call and we're playing fast and we're playing physical, we feel good about it.
"We want to make sure we communicate, we play fast, and we play physical. Then we just have to make sure we tackle. They do a really good job of knocking the line of scrimmage back. We have to play with really good fundamentals and detail. We have to win early in the down. We have to stop the run and try to make them -- make it so they're one-dimensional on offense."
The Hurricanes will face the Hoosiers for the National Championship at Hard Rock Stadium on Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.
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Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University earning a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Communications with a concentration in Print and Digital Journalism. During his time in Starkville, he spent a year as an intern working for Mississippi State On SI primarily covering basketball, football, baseball, and soccer while writing, recording, and creating multimedia stories during his tenor. Since graduating, he has assumed the role of lead staff writer for Miami Hurricanes On SI covering football, basketball, baseball, and all things Hurricanes related.