A revamped defensive secondary and a new defensive philosophy could be one of the keys for the 2025 Miami Hurricanes. As Miami looks to take another step forward in the ACC and challenge for a College Football Playoff berth, improved secondary play is a priority.
Miami Hurricanes’ Revamped Secondary
The Hurricanes allowed 214.4 yards per game last season. That ranked a respectable 57th nationally and sixth in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Head coach Mario Cristobal knows his squad needs to improve in the back end. Nowhere is that more glaring than against explosive plays after the Hurricanes ranked 96th nationally in that category in 2024.
Enter new defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman. He comes over from Minnesota after leading a Gophers unit that allowed just 16.9 points per game last season (ninth in FBS) and was fifth in yards allowed per game (285.7 ypg). “We’ve had some massive changes on defense, schematically,” Cristobal said.
Hetherman and new defensive pass game coordinator Zac Etheridge will remain in a 4-2-5 look. However, the Hurricane defense will look to emulate Hetherman’s bend-but-don’t-break philosophy, which proved successful at Minnesota. He intends to focus less on pre-snap disguising and more on fundamentals and execution. In addition, Hetherman has vowed to utilize different personnel based on the opponent, rather than simply starting the same 11 defenders each week.
Miami’s secondary rebuild will focus on a mix of impact transfers and young returners in 2025. Cristobal said he expects most of the transfers in Miami’s recent class to contribute significantly, which would be a boon to the Hurricanes’ secondary. “The way that they have installed, studied, and spent time together, they didn’t look out of place,” Cristobal said after the first day of fall camp. “In fact, they looked pretty darn good. So, we expect them all to play a factor in this upcoming season.” Cristobal, as well as some of his players, met with the media when camp opened on Saturday.
Secondary Transfers Ready to Make an Impact
Leading the way among a new group in the secondary could be Zechariah Poyser, who comes to Coral Gables from Jacksonville State. Poyser was a Freshman All-America in 2024 as a redshirt. He posted 75 tackles (47 solo), three interceptions, and eight tackles for loss for the Gamecocks.
Poyser said he expects the secondary to gel quickly, based on the amount of time they have spent together over the summer. “We’ve been here in the summer, we’ve been spending time together, in the film room constantly, learning the playbook,” Poyser said. “It’s been coming together well.”
Poyser said he has learned a great deal from transfer safety Jakobe Thomas, who joins Miami from Tennessee. After three seasons at Middle Tennessee State, Thomas played in 13 games for the Volunteers last season, tallying 22 tackles and an interception. “He’s a dog, a competitor,” Poyser said of Thomas. “He’s a leader, a natural leader. I’m blessed to be around him. I’m picking up traits from him. He’s a blessing to be around, for sure.”
Charles Brantley joins the Miami secondary from Michigan State, where he showed explosive ability and ball-hawking skills. In 24 starts for the Spartans, Brantley recorded 23 pass breakups and five interceptions. He took two of those picks to the house, including a 100-yard pick-six against Prairie View A&M.
Young Hurricanes Look to Continue Building
O.J. Frederique, Jr. is the top returner in the back end for the Canes. He was a Freshman All-America honoree in 2024, seeing action in 13 games (seven starts) and compiling 30 tackles and one interception.
Damari Brown was expected to play a big role last season. But his 2024 campaign was cut short by injury after two games. He was a solid contributor and showed a great deal of potential in 2023 as a true freshman.
Any Freshmen In the Mix?
Chris Ewald, Jaboree Antoine, Amari Wallace, and Bryce Fitzgerald all come to Miami as highly-touted, heralded recruits. Ewald and Antoine were both 4-star cornerbacks, while Wallace and Fitzgerald were among the top safety recruits in the nation coming out of high school.
With the Hurricanes’ overhaul in the secondary and willingness to play freshmen who can contribute (see Frederique Jr. last season), it wouldn’t be surprising to see any of this group receive important reps during the 2025 season.
Early Test
Miami’s remade defensive secondary and new defensive philosophy will be thrown into the fire quickly. The Hurricanes open the 2025 season in a high-profile matchup with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish Aug. 31 at Hard Rock Stadium.
Main Image: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images
