Mario Cristobal explains what led him to hiring Corey Hetherman

Miami head coach Mario Cristobal made a big change on his staff at the conclusion of the 2024 season, bringing in Minnesota defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman to run the Hurricanes’ defense.

Hetherman is replacing Lance Guidry, who was let go after two seasons as the Miami DC. Cristobal recently explained what led him to hiring Hetherman away from Minnesota.

“Coach Hetherman embodies what you look for, what I look for, in a coach. And that being said, it’s a guy that is an elite teacher,” Cristobal said. “And from my interaction with him and the people that I know and trust that he has worked with and worked for, a tremendous human being. And emphasis is placed on him on being able to maximize the use of the elite personnel he has or he may not have.”

Hetherman’s Minnesota defense was ranked No. 5 nationally in 2024 after allowing only 285.7 yards per game. The Miami defense was 27th nationally at 327 yards per game, but the Hurricanes struggled the second half of the year after some injuries occurred.

After allowing 10 points per game the first four games of the season, the Hurricanes surrendered 30-plus points six times in the final nine games. Cristobal hopes that Hetherman can produce consistently good defenses throughout the year.

“What sticks out probably most, and what we needed most for us, was adaptability,” Cristobal said. “Like this past year obviously we had some injuries in the secondary and we weren’t deep to begin with. And that’s my fault, and I’m certainly not going to throw stones at a coach that was here or not. I appreciate everyone that’s ever worn a Miami jacket, a Miami shirt, a Miami helmet.

“But we didn’t do very well defensively and it was a steady decline. And at some point in time, regardless of your personnel that you have or you don’t have, you’ve gotta be adaptable. You’ve gotta make the adjustments necessary to not be perfect but to play as good as you can, get stops and give yourself a chance to win.”

Cristobal added that Hetherman has a defensive philosophy that aligns with his. He expects Miami to be much-improved defensively during the 2025 season as the Hurricanes look to reach the College Football Playoff after coming up just short this past year.

“For us, we’re built to be a four-down front, turn our Edge players loose and be disruptive. And that’s what he has done, really at all levels, and most recently at the Power 4 level in the Big Ten,” Cristobal said. “So really sound with communication. They play really, really physical. They tackle really well. They certainly force a significant amount of turnovers. And they put pressure on the quarterback. They make you play uncomfortable.”