Welcome back, Canes fans!
As we head toward the 2026 season, the bar has been raised yet again for the Miami Hurricanes. To discuss and debate the expectations and outlook, here’s the annual roundtable discussion to preview the season. We’re flipping up the order of things from the past, so this year, we’re starting with defense!
Let’s get into the discussion:
Question 1: What are your expectations for the defense in year 2 under Corey Hetherman?
Cam Underwood: Honestly, I’m very excited for this year’s defense. I expect the unit to have the same typical physical presence, embodying the ethos
of ESV — Excitement, Swarm the ball, play with Violence — that Hetherman has instilled. But on top of that, I expect the defense to be able to employ new, dynamic exotic looks since the foundation is there. Hetherman has a ton of tools to deploy on defense this year and I’m excited to see how he chooses to do it.
Justin Dottavio: Keep on improving, and improve on missed tackles. I really like having him back another year you can see that he knows the guys he needs and how to recruit/portal them in. It’s a system/scheme and not a playbook.
Craig T. Smith: Well, I’m still coming off the high from the group we saw in 2025, particularly after so much pain from how 2024’s unit cost this program a playoff spot. Now, I need to see Hetherman take a new group, albeit with plenty of talent and a good number of important parts back, and turn it into another formidable unit this fall.
Mike Schiffman: Consistency. Despite the losses of Bain, Mesidor, Scott, and Thomas, there is no reason why the Canes shouldn’t have a great defense again this season. Hetherman really is a perfect defensive coordinator for modern college football: guy with a high football IQ combined with psychotic intensity.
Jake Marcus: The 2026 Canes might be the only team in the country that could lose contributors like Bain, Mesidor, Scott, Thomas, and Bissainthe and still feel confident about what’s coming back. Miami added one of the best edge rushers in the portal in Damon Wilson II, and the interior reloads with returners Ahmad Moten, Justin Scott, and Armondo Blount. After what he did developing Scott and Thomas, expect big things from BC transfer Omar Thornton, and we get another year of growth from Bryce Fitzgerald, Zechariah Poyser, OJ Frederique, and Xavier Lucas in the secondary.
Rob Weaver: Establish last year as the norm and not the exception. 2024 lacked a defense to compliment one of the best offenses in the nation. 2025 lacked an offense to compliment one of the best defenses in the nation. I expect Hetherman’s crew to hold up their end of the bargain in 2026.
Question 2: How long do you expect Hetherman to stay in Coral Gables?
Underwood: My *HOPE* is for 2 more years, including this year. But, I think that’s a pipe dream. If the right job comes open, I fear this will be Hetherman’s final season in Coral Gables. I compare Hetherman to former Lions OC Ben Johnson (I’m from Detroit, I root for the Lions, you’ll deal with it). Johnson turned down multiple head coaching opportunities to wait for the perfect fit he wanted. Hetherman is in that same spot; he could leave for just any HC job, but he’s a rising star in the industry and can call his shot for his next job. I just think that happens sooner than later.
Dottavio: The previous path to a “P4” job was to either: 1- wait forever (Venables) or 2- drop down to G5/6 (Cristobal). I guess there was 3- the “coach in waiting” but that seems all but gone in the new modern era. I’m not sure if being a head coach is all that it once was, with how volatile the G6 level is now. Hetherman might wind up in the NFL before he is a college HC. Long story long… if Miami wins the natty he’ll be gone.
Smith: Not easy to say. So much depends on which jobs come open, what other candidates shine, etc. But Hetherman was the best assistant coach in the nation last year (I don’t care what the Broyles Award deciders say), and that will get you on a lot of very short lists. So, another great year, and we’re sweating in Coral Gables.
Schiffman: A year or two. Maybe more if Coach Cristobal is lucky. With how Miami has performed the last couple seasons, I doubt Hetherman leaves for a DC job at another college. I think he goes to the NFL as a DC. Or maybe he takes a head coaching job at a smaller school to prove he can lead a program. Whatever. The way the coaching carousel is today, I will appreciate him as long as he stays with the Canes.
Marcus: If he continues the trajectory he started last year, Hetherman is going to be one of the most sought-after names on the coaching market – both college and NFL – next cycle. Defensive-minded coordinators with his kind of rapid turnaround have become hot commodities at the next level too, and a team looking for its next Vic Fangio or Sean Desai type could easily come calling. That said, if Miami falls short of a national championship this year, I’d bet Hetherman sticks around to finish the job. Unfinished business has a way of keeping good coordinators in place – at least for one more run.
Weaver: Tough to say. I would be very surprised if Hetherman left for another coordinator job, so I really only see him leaving to satisfy head coaching aspirations. But what are those? Not every coordinator is eager to be a head coach. If this year is a national championship breakthrough kind of year, it would not shock me if either Hetherman or Dawson decided to stick with Miami for quite a few years. Saban’s coordinators would get head coaching opportunities at powerhouse programs like Georgia and Texas. If Miami returns to blue blood status, why would either Dawson or Hetherman leave for a G5 school? Even if this year is a step back for some reason, I would expect Dawson and Hetherman would want to right the ship in 2027. So I really don’t see a scenario where either leaves this year or next.
Question 3: Which unit has you hyped?
Underwood: Defensive back. We’re *LOADED* in the secondary. We return the top 6 corners, one of the starting safeties, the other returning safety led all freshmen in the COUNTRY in interceptions, we add a sledgehammer at nickel, and a handful of blue chip DBs, including my personal favorite player, S J.J. Dunnigan, who has been spoken about with the same excitement and praise as Bryce Fitzgerald was last year. What more could you want?!
Dottavio: Defensive tackle and whatever position Omar Thornton is playing.
Smith: I love what’s coming back right up the middle with Ahmad Moten, Sr. and Justin Scott. That’s the best defensive tackle duo in the country. So, if we’re talking singular positional group, that’s it. If we’re talking defensive unit, give me the secondary. Omar Thornton is going to be a dude, and Bryce Fitzgerald is a future All-American in the making. And the Canes’ cornerback group is going to be deep and talented.
Schiffman: Defensive tackle. Miami might have two of the best five DTs in the country. Moten is a no-brainer. Scott’s name has been mentioned by Canes insiders and national pundits. He came in as a five-star and has improved steadily. If those guys can force double teams and wreak havoc, it’ll be scary to see what Hetherman can dial up with the rest of the defensive talent he has at his disposal this year.
Marcus: The defensive line set the tone last year, and honestly, they didn’t take a step back at all this year – if anything, the room got deeper. Instead of watching Mesidor and Bain high-five in the backfield, get ready for Wilson II, Lightfoot, Moten, Scott, and Blount doing the bulldozing all game long. That’s five guys who can win one-on-one reps up front, which means offensive coordinators won’t have a single series to game-plan around. This is the unit that has me most hyped heading into the season – it’s not a rebuild, it’s a reload, and somehow I think it might actually be scarier than last year’s group who produced two first rounders.
Weaver: I want chaos, and I want to see our re-loaded defensive line causing it.
Question 4: Which position needs to show you something?
Underwood: Linebacker. I know we’re loaded in the secondary. I know we’re loaded (even with some new names and faces) along the defensive line. Linebacker is position where I’m not as bullish, but still admit we have a strong group.
Dottavio: Defensive end and inside linebacker. Wilson and Lightfoot have to prove they can set the edge and the LB’s have a lot to prove. Toure improved in coverage over the season but he still has some work to do. Hopefully being removed from the knee injuries will help that.
Smith: Linebacker. Simply because there is so much talent elsewhere. Mohamed Toure coming back is big, Chase Smith looks ready to take a step, and Cam Pruitt could be very good, but I don’t know about how good this entire room is top to bottom.
Schiffman: Linebacker. I wrote an article a couple years ago saying if I could put one former Canes player on the 2024 team, it would be Denzel Perryman. Miami hasn’t had the same type of future-NFL linebackers as schools like Georgia and LSU did the last decade or so. I love Mohamed Toure and Chase Smith. I just hope they aren’t the weak spots for an otherwise awesome defensive unit.
Marcus: Linebacker – but that’s not a knock on the unit, it’s more a product of everything else being loaded. They really only lose Bissainthe as a steady, every-down contributor, so the drop-off isn’t dramatic. It’s just that the D-line and secondary are so stacked this year that linebacker becomes the group by default that needs to prove it belongs in that same conversation. If they hold their own, this defense doesn’t really have a weak link.
Weaver: Who replaces Keionte Scott in Hetherman’s hybrid nickel/linebacker/safety/swiss army knife position? Omar Thorton is the odds on favorite to fill those gigantic shoes, but JJ Dunnigan had a hell of an offseason, and Bryce Fitzgerald got some looks at the position.
Question 5: Who will be a breakout player on defense in 2026?
Underwood: I’m gonna swim a bit upstream here with some names you’re surely not expecting: DT Jarquez Carter and DB Damari Brown. Carter is an uber-talented transfer from Ohio State (who should have picked Miami out of HS but that’s another story) who would likely be DT1 at every other ACC school, but is DT4 here with our current depth and talent. But he can hoop and I’m excited to see him. Brown is a physical specimen and lockdown defender who has faced injury after injury in his career. If he can stay healthy, the sky’s the limit.
Dottavio: I like Cam Pruitt at linebacker, Armondo Blount at DE. Blount has the ‘it’ factor and his experience should now help with his young age. Pruitt is athletic and that’s what that position has needed over the past few years.
Smith: I’m going Marquise Lightfoot and Thornton. The former showed what he can do against Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl with a sack, and Thornton, man, he just seems violent and athletic.
Schiffman: Blout, Lightfoot, and Thornton are all great choices. I am going to say Xavier Lucas. I know, he is a well-known guy that played a fairly large role for the Canes last season. Still, I believe Lucas can become a true shutdown corner with his size and speed. I love the way he plays and think he hasn’t come near his ceiling as a football player.
Marcus: Blount and Lightfoot might get a little lost in the shuffle up front simply because that room is so loaded, but the name I’m circling is Omar Thornton. He’s the BC transfer coming in with the exact same profile as Keionte Scott a year ago – a guy nobody outside of Miami’s building was talking about in August who ends up a household name by December. Thornton racked up 82 tackles, eight TFLs, two sacks, and four forced fumbles at Boston College behind a defense with a fraction of the talent around him. Now drop him into Hetherman’s system with actual pass rush and actual depth on the back end, and I think he’s the guy who ends the season on All-ACC teams (along with his former BC secondary teammate KP Price). If Scott’s pick-six against Ohio State taught us anything, it’s that this staff knows exactly how to unlock a hard-hitting, ball-hawking DB from the portal. Thornton is next in line, and I don’t think it’s close.
Weaver: Herbert Scroggins the Third. Amidst a sea of blue chip defensive linemen and edge rushers, he had one hell of an offseason and should earn plenty of reps this season. While I fully expect Wilson, Lightfoot, and Blount to be tip of the spear on the perimeter, I am calling my shot now that Scroggins has himself a hell of year.
Question 6: Miami’s 2026 Defensive MVP will be…
Underwood: Bryce Fitzgerald. He’s bigger physically to take and deliver punishment in the secondary, and he’s just always around the ball. I know others are going with Moten, understandably, but I’m going with Fitzgerald to be the cog that makes this year’s defense work.
Dottavio: Ahmad Moten. I think Moten is a 1st round pick, All-ACC type at DT. A 300# interior DL that can move sounds like a great thing for Miami and a bad thing for opposing QB’s.
Smith: I think the best player on this defense is Moten. His presence right at the point of attack is going to be huge in keeping that physical edge over teams and limiting early down runs. He’ll show why he’s a first rounder this year. Honorable mention to Fitzgerald.
Schiffman: Ahmad Moten. Chalk pick I know. I just think he is primed for a huge season that will result in him being a first-round pick in the 2027 NFL draft.
Marcus: Most of the way-too-early first-round hype on defense has centered on Moten and Scott as the early candidates for Defensive MVP. But after watching what Bain and Mesidor did to opposing offensive linemen and quarterbacks last year, I’m going a different direction: Damon Wilson II. He’s carried first-round buzz of his own for over a year now, and the tools have never been the question – it’s about finding the system that fully unlocks them. If Hetherman can do for Wilson what he did for this front seven as a whole last season, Miami’s Defensive MVP won’t just be a name we’re debating in August. It’ll be a guy hearing his name called in the top half of Round 1 next spring.
Weaver: Omar Thornton. I’m serious, that hybrid position in Hetherman’s 4-2-5 defense is a critical position, and if the defense repeats as a Top 10 group, I expect Thornton’s contribution to have been instrumental to the Hurricane’s success.
And that brings us to the end of the first part of our SOTU 2026 season roundtable. Which contributor do you most align your thoughts with? Who is WAY off base?
Talk it up, Canes fam. We’re back with part 2 of our roundtable soon.
