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. Miami ranks ninth nationally in points allowed (11.5 PPG) and tied for eighth against the run (76.3 YPG). Florida State leads the nation in

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