What Can DC Lance Guidry Accomplish at Miami?

With Mario Cristobal hiring Lance Guidry to become his defensive coordinator, it will be a chance for a shot to shine in the limelight.

Coming from Marshall, Guidry did not necessarily have the elite talent of someone like Miami's Leonard Taylor, for example. Natural interior pass rushers have always been hard to find, but Taylor has fit the profile well.

Despite not always having that talent, Guidry has done quite well.

Throughout Guidry’s career, he’s never been at a school that has the recruiting cache to be ranked No. 7 in the 247 Sports recruiting rankings like the Hurricanes were with this last cycle. Still, he’s been a darn good football coach.

The past two seasons for Marshall were prime examples of what he’s done. Looking back at Marshall’s 2017-2020 recruiting classes, the bulk of the players that helped Guidry’s defenses in 2021 and 2022, consider how they ranked and then take a look at where those defenses finished nationally:

All rankings from 247 Sports

2017: 87

2018: 74

2019: 72

2020: 95

Now, here’s how Marshall finished with essential defensive statistics during the two seasons that Guidry operated the defensive for the Thundering Herd:

(national rank)

2021 scoring defense: 23.8 (44)

2021 total defense: 396.6 (81)

2021 passing defense: 204.6 (28)

2021 rushing defense: 192 (104)

2022 scoring defense: 16 (6)

2022 total defense: 294.5 (8)

2022 passing defense: 201.5 (27)

2022 rushing defense: 93 (4)

In particular, the rushing defense literally improved by 100 spots from Guidry’s first season to the next. That was incredible. Without question, coach Guidry was definitely proud of what Marshall’s defense accomplished this past season:

These Stats Were Owned by 2022 Marshall Coaches and Players Only! Each Year is a Different Year! pic.twitter.com/QTMtfgJSaF
— Lance Guidry (@CoachLGuidry) February 7, 2023

Having investigated further, Marshall’s defense did a great job of sacking the quarterback. In 2021, 40 sacks (15), and 2022 saw 38 (13) more sacks.

When Marshall was not tackling the quarterback, interceptions were also prevalent. It finished No. 6 in the nation with 18 this past season, while 2021 saw Marshall register 10 for 60th in college football. That was another major improvement under Guidry’s watch.

Looking back at last season’s biggest game for the Thundering Herd, Marshall went into Notre Dame Stadium and knocked off the Irish 26-21.

Notre Dame only accumulated 221 passing yards, while throwing one touchdown pass and three interceptions. For the game, Marshall held Notre Dame to 21 points. Perhaps most impressively, Notre Dame had not lost to a non-top 25 team since 2016.

Additionally, Marshall won its last five games of the 2022 season. From those games, no opponent scored more than 23 points during that stretch. The Thundering Herd allowed 13.6 points per game during those contests.

Looking at this defensive coordinator hire overall, it’s safe to say that Cristobal hired one of the truly best coordinators at the college level. It will be interesting to see what Guidry can do with the level of talent Miami has already begun to stockpile in Coral Gables through recruiting. Plus, players like Taylor will be further developed and be making even more plays for the Canes.

AllHurricanes.com is your home for all things Miami Hurricanes football, recruiting, basketball and other athletics, all the time. Follow along on social media at @AllHurricanes on Twitter and All Hurricanes on Facebook for round-the-clock news and analysis.