There will be a lot of inside knowledge for both sides when Indiana has the football during Monday night’s national championship game.
Miami defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman was IU coach Curt Cignetti’s defensive coordinator his first three years at James Madison, from 2019 to 2021.
And Hetherman played a key role in Cignetti’s success at JMU. During the 2021 season with the Dukes, Hetherman was named the American Football Coaches Association’s FCS Assistant Coach of the Year. The Dukes were in the national top-10 for total defense in each of Hetherman’s seasons with Cignetti in Harrisonburg.
Working under Hetherman all three years at JMU was current IU defensive coordinator Bryant Haines, who carried a co-defensive coordinator title at the time. And working against Hetherman’s defense were Cignetti and current IU offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan, who was promoted to the OC role at JMU in 2021.
The defense is the strength of this year’s Miami team.
The Hurricanes rank No. 5 in scoring defense (14.0 points allowed per game), No. 6 in rushing defense (86.5 yards per game), No. 1 in sacks (47), and No. 7 in tackles for loss (96). That resume probably sounds familiar, right?
It’s the Cignetti blueprint for defense.
Hetherman left then FCS JMU to take a linebackers coach position at Rutgers for two years, was the Minnesota defensive coordinator for a year in 2024, and this is his first season at Miami.
But Cignetti sees the carryover from their time together at James Madison.
“Philosophically, you know, in terms of what we think is important, him and I, that hasn’t changed,” Cignetti said. “He’s going to create havoc up front, stop the run, TFLs, sacks. They got 47 sacks on the year.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for Corey. 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 is unparalleled.”
So who will have the advantage on Monday night?
Cignetti and Shanahan because they know Hetherman’s defense?
Hetherman because he knows the their offense?
“I think we’ve evolved offensively,” Cignetti said. “He was my defensive coordinator the first three years at JMU. We’ve evolved offensively. Terminology has changed. We do things differently. But his scheme has, too.
“He’s going to attack. The way he goes about it is a little different than the way he went about it at JMU. But the way we go about it offensively is a little different, too.
“In terms of the schematics — you know, man, zone, the kind of blitzes, the fronts — we’ve changed a little bit. And I’ve seen Corey change based on what I’m seeing on tape.”
Haines took over at DC at JMU in 2022 when Hetherman left. He helped guide the Dukes through their transition to the FBS.
And there was no decline in the defensive dominance Indiana fans have to know.
This year it’s Haines who is up for the Broyles Award for the assistant coach of the year.
“I was fortunate to have Bryant Haines on my staff who was ready to step into that role,” Cignetti said. “And they’re a little different because they’re different people. And Bryant likes to do a lot of the different things, but we do them well.
“But the philosophy is still the same in terms of, it all starts up front. Statistically, since Bryant’s taken over, it’s about like it was when Corey was the coordinator. We’re always in the top five in total defense, one or two against the run, very high in TFLs and sacks.”
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