"When Miami fell short of the College Football Playoff despite having the nation's top quarterback and offense in 2024, coach Mario Cristobal needed a new voice for the defense and found one in Corey Hetherman, a respected coordinator from Minnesota whose strong work had gone mostly under the radar. When Florida State crashed out to a 2-10 finish in 2024, coach Mike Norvell's full sweep of the program included two attention-grabbing coordinator hires in Gus Malzahn (offense) and Tony White (defense)."
"Hetherman, Malzahn and White aren't the only reasons this week's Miami-Florida State game has regained some juice, but their impact has been noticeable. Miami ranks ninth nationally in points allowed (11.5 PPG) and tied for eighth against the run (76.3 YPG). Florida State leads the nation in both scoring (53 PPG) and total offense (600 YPG), and its defense entered Friday's game at Virginia ranked in the top 25 in several major categories."
"Other teams also are witnessing the impact of first-year coordinators, from positive to concerning to somewhere in between. Oklahoma's offseason makeover on offense included adding not only quarterback John Mateer from Washington State, but also his playcaller there in Ben Arbuckle. Joey McGuire brought in playcallers Shiel Wood (defense) and Mack Leftwich (offense) to Texas Tech to accelerate the ascent of an improved roster with championship aspirations."
Miami missed the College Football Playoff despite possessing the nation's top quarterback and offense in 2024, prompting Mario Cristobal to hire Corey Hetherman from Minnesota to lead the defense. Florida State's 2-10 2024 finish led Mike Norvell to overhaul staff, adding Gus Malzahn on offense and Tony White on defense. Miami ranks ninth nationally in points allowed (11.5 PPG) and tied for eighth against the run (76.3 YPG). Florida State leads the nation in scoring (53 PPG) and total offense (600 YPG) while its defense entered a recent game ranked among the top 25. Other programs, including Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Notre Dame, show varied results from new coordinators after five full weeks of the 2025 season.
Read at ESPN.com
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