Miami's Year One Defensive Turnaround Started With the Basics
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CORAL GABLES, Fla. — The Miami Hurricanes have had one of the best defensive turnarounds in the history of the sport. What was a bottom feeding group last season turned into a defense that only allows 13.8 points a game.
That was thanks to first-year defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman walking in and pushing this team to be better each game.
Not only have they played out of their minds, but Hetherman has also pushed them to identify every little thing they could find to flip a bottom-75 defensive last season into a top-seven group in a year.
"I think we're always pushing to get better every single rep, you know, the number one thing in the spring was, okay, identify the areas that we need to get better, and everything for us was just the base technique, the base fundamentals," Hetherman said. "You know, and then it became, we needed to make sure all 11 guys that working together better. It was all communication, and I think we're never going to be satisfied. It's always every day we got to get better. And it's in every aspect, it's, you know, our tackling in Virginia attack, we need to get better there."
For Hetherman, it started with the basics. Almost reteaching defense to the talented group, while also leaning into their strenghs.
"Our communication, you know, maybe in some of those earlier games, we need to get better there," Hetherman said. "Our fundamentals, our eye discipline. So every day, that that's the number one thing we push, and that's the number one thing we're handling of meetings on the field, is trying to elevate, you know, the standard and and trying to make sure we're getting better with our fundamentals, our technique, our communication, all loving guys playing together, our swarm, you know, how physical we play on defense.
"And, you know, it's, you know, every day, it's tomorrow, it's going to be better than it was today. Today's going to be better than it was yesterday. We continue to build on that every day."
The Hurricanes will have to build on it as they face one of the most explosive and fastest offenses in the country. The perimeter talent led by KC Concepcion and Mario Craver is a lightning-in-a-bottle attack that Miami's secondary needs to contain.
"They do a really good job," Hetherman said. "You know, they get those guys the ball and RPOs, on screens, out in space, they try to ID one-on-ones. and try to get you into certain partridges. You know, I think our guys match up well, but I think, you know, that we win our one-on-ones. They're already talented. Even on special teams, you watch the way, you know, those guys changed the game in those different areas, you know, we go to make sure technique. We're very sound to change up some pictures and do some different things, but, you know, they get some very talented guys in perimeter."
The Hurricanes will take on the Aggies at Dec. 20, at Noon Eastern at Kyles Field in College Station.
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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.