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.