When Corey Hetherman took over as defensive coordinator following Lance Guidry’s firing in December 2024, he inherited a secondary that had been the Achilles’ heel of a team that should have competed for
a national championship. The 2024 pass defense ranked 57th nationally, surrendered 42 points to Syracuse in a season-ending catastrophe, and featured communication breakdowns so severe that they overshadowed a historically great offense.
One year later, Hetherman’s defensive backs didn’t just improve – they transformed into one of the most clutch units in college football. Led by veteran anchors Francisco Mauigoa and Ruben Bain Jr. up front creating havoc, and a completely retooled secondary featuring Keionte Scott, Jakobe Thomas, Bryce Fitzgerald, Xavier Lucas, and Ethan O’Connor, Miami’s defense stifled elite offenses from start to finish and nearly carried the Hurricanes to a national championship.
The unit that ranked horribly in pass defense in 2024 rocketed to 8th nationally in third-down defense (30.8%), held opponents to 14 points per game, and forced critical turnovers in every major game, specifically in the playoffs against Texas A&M and Ole Miss bringing an intense physicality across the defense. This wasn’t just improvement. This was a complete resurrection.
Opening Statement: Shutting Down Notre Dame
The tests came right out of the gate in Week 1 against No. 7 Notre Dame and their highly touted redshirt freshman quarterback CJ Carr (45th-ranked national prospect). The Fighting Irish featured near-national championship hero Jaden Greathouse (who had 6 catches for 128 yards and two TDs in the previous year’s title game), South Florida native Jordan Faison from Pinecrest, and Virginia transfer Malachi Fields.
Miami’s secondary, playing together for the first time under Hetherman and cornerbacks coach Zac Etheridge, suffocated Notre Dame’s passing attack in a 27-24 victory. Greathouse was limited to no catches on two targets, despite playing 26 snaps. Fields and Faison accumulated a combined 81 yards and forcing Carr into checkdowns and preventing explosive plays. The defense held Notre Dame to just 221 passing yards and forced two turnovers.
It was the first time in years that a Miami secondary looked competent, let alone dominant, against elite competition. And it was just the beginning.
The Playoff Opener: Texas A&M and the Game-Sealing Pick
Miami’s defense faced its toughest test of the regular season on November 15 against Texas A&M in the Aggies’ notoriously hostile Kyle Field. Texas A&M entered 11-1 with a top-10 defense and a physical team that had steamrolled opponents all season.
With Miami clinging to a 10-3 lead late in the fourth quarter, Texas A&M drove into Miami territory with a chance to tie or even take the lead if they went for two. The Aggies drove down to the Canes’ five yard line with less than a minute to go and Miami forced two straight incompletions.
Texas A&M QB, Marcell Reed, dropped back on third and five with an opportunity to score but true Freshman, Bryce Fitzgerald read an overthrown pass perfectly, sealing the 10-3 victory by intercepting Reed with just 24 seconds to go. The pick sealed the victory and sent the Hurricanes to 11-2, keeping their College Football Playoff path alive.
Fitzgerald finished the season with 6 interceptions, emerging as one of the ACC’s best cover corners, and one of the nation’s best ballhawks as he tied with the second most interceptions in the nation. His performance against Texas A&M was a microcosm of Miami’s defensive identity under Hetherman: disciplined, aggressive, and clutch.
The Play of the Year: Keionte Scott’s Pick-Six vs. Ohio State
As much as Fitzgerald’s interception against Texas A&M kept Miami’s playoff alive, Keionte Scott’s pick-six against Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl defined the season.
Leading 7-0 in the first quarter against the No. 2 seed Buckeyes, Miami needed a big stop. In the second quarter, Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin dropped back and hit Jeremiah Smith on a deep route for 59 yards.
On the very next play Keionte Scott came up with the play of the game and season. Playing press coverage, Bain and Mesidor immediately baited Sayin into the throw. As soon as Sayin released the ball, Scott broke on the route, undercut any receiver, and intercepted the pass at the Miami 28. He immediately turned upfield, and outran all Buckeyes for a 72-yard pick-six that expanded the lead to 14-0.
The play electrified Miami’s sideline and set the tone for a dominant and physical defensive performance. The Hurricanes held Ohio State scoreless in the first half for the first time in nine years, forced two turnovers, and sacked Sayin five times in a 24-14 victory that sent Miami to the Fiesta Bowl.
Scott transferred from Houston after playing at Auburn under Etheridge in 2023. His familiarity with Etheridge’s coaching style made him a perfect fit for Hetherman’s system. His pick-six against Ohio State will go down as one of the greatest plays in recent Miami football history.
Holding the Juggernaut in Check: The National Championship Performance
On January 19, 2026, Miami faced No. 1 Indiana and Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza in the College Football Playoff National Championship at Hard Rock Stadium. Indiana entered 15-0, averaging 40.3 points per game, and featuring the nation’s most efficient offense.
Miami’s defense knew the assignment: keep the game close, force Mendoza into mistakes, and give Carson Beck a chance to win it late.
For three and a half quarters, they executed perfectly.
The Canes secondary kept top Hoosier wide receivers and likely 2026 NFL Draft draftees, Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper Jr., to a combined under 100 yards receiving. They also held Mendoza to 16-of-27 passing for 186 yards and no touchdowns.
While it wasn’t enough and Miami fell 27-21, Miami’s defense proved they could hang with anyone. They held the nation’s best offense in check and were a millisecond away from the momentum changing play where Ethan O’Connor just missed an interception. That said, they played physical, disciplined football for 60 minutes against a team that had steamrolled everyone in its path.
The Season by the Numbers
Miami’s defensive backs finished the 2025 season as one of the best units in the country:
- 11th nationally in third-down defense (30.8%)
- 11th in total defense (292.6 yards per game)
- 5th in scoring defense (14 points per game)
- 16 interceptions (tied for 12th nationally)
- 60 pass breakups
Individual standouts included:
- Keionte Scott: 2 INTs (2 TDs), 5 PDs, 64 tackles
- Jakobe Thomas: 5 INTs, 6 PDs, 76 tackles
- Bryce Fitzgerald: 6 INTs, 2 PDs, 16 tackles
- Zechariah Poyser: 6 PDs, 68 tackles
- Xavier Lucas: 1 INT, 8 PDs, 45 tackles
- Ethan O’Connor: 5 PDs, 28 tackles
- Dylan Day: 2 PDs, 11 tackles
- OJ Frederique: 7 PDs, 19 tackles
- Damari Brown: 24 tackles
The leap from 2024’s disaster was staggering. Miami went from allowing 42 points to Syracuse and ranking 57th in pass defense to holding the nation’s No. 1 offense to 21 points in the national championship game. They went from communication breakdowns and blown coverages to forcing 16 interceptions and ranking 11th nationally in third-down defense.
Hetherman’s Development and the Future
What made Hetherman’s first season so impressive wasn’t just the statistical improvement – it was the development of individual players.
Keionte Scott and Jakobe Thomas went from decent depth additions in the portal but emerged as lockdown defenders who could match up with anyone and will be highly sought after in the 2026 NFL Draft (Scott already getting projected first and second round recognition). True Freshman, Bryce Fitzgerald grew into a steady, reliable presence and ballhawk. Xavier Lucas lived up to his billing as the No. 1 corner in the transfer portal, even after the legal drama with Wisconsin.
Ethan O’Connor and Zechariah Poyser, both transfers from Washington State and Jacksonville State, respectively, became immediate contributors.
Hetherman’s system emphasized technique over athleticism, trust over freelancing, and discipline over whatever we saw in 2024 from the same unit. The results spoke for themselves.
What’s Next: Portal Additions and Recruiting Momentum
With Scott and Thomas both exhausting their eligibility, Miami will need to reload once again in the transfer portal. But Hetherman has already laid the groundwork. And the Canes have already done just that adding the Boston College safety, ranked eighth at the position in the portal, in Omar Thornton.
Miami also added promising talent in the recruiting process through cornerback, Camdin Portis and safety, JJ Dunnigan. Frederique last year and Fitzgerald this year prove that Miami is not afraid to throw Canes’ defensive backs into the fold early and they have thrived. Miami returns most of their 2025 contributors and a healthy Frederique and Brown, who were hampered by injuries throughout this past season.
As it currently stands, here are the players we could see for the Miami Hurricanes defensive backs fold in 2026:
Outside Cornerbacks: OJ Frederique Jr., Xavier Lucas, Ethan O’Connor, Damari Brown
Nickelbacks: Bryce Fitzgerald, Camdin Portis
Safeties: Zechariah Poyser, Omar Thornton, Dylan Day, JJ Dunnigan, Chris Ewald Jr.
From Disaster to Dominance
The 2024 Miami secondary was a national embarrassment. The 2025 Miami secondary was one play away from winning a national championship.
That’s not hyperbole. That’s development. That’s coaching. That’s what happens when you hire the right staff, bring in the right players, and commit to a system, which Mario Cristobal has committed to.
Corey Hetherman turned a group of transfers and underclassmen into a playoff-caliber defense. Hetherman is worth every penny. Keionte Scott, Jakobe Thomas, Bryce Fitzgerald, Xavier Lucas, and Ethan O’Connor led the way from start to finish, stifling Notre Dame in the opener, sealing wins against Texas A&M, delivering the play of the year against Ohio State, and holding the nation’s best offense in check in the national championship game.
They fell six points short of glory. But they proved Miami is back.
And with another year of Hetherman’s development, another elite transfer class, and a returning core of talented defenders, the Canes’ secondary should be a top-notch unit again in 2026.
The disaster is over. The dominance has just begun.
It’s a new era in Coral Gables. And the DBs are leading the way.
