After their run to the national title game and a 13-3 season under Mario Cristobal, Miami has reportedly inked both of their dynamic coordinators to extensions.
According to a report from ESPN today, both offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson as well as defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman have agreed to multi-year deals to stay in Coral Gables.
Both considered among the top coordinators on their respective sides of the ball, Dawson and Hetherman have both proven to be instrumental in the 'Canes resurgence.
Dawson, who previously held offensive coordinator roles at Houston and Southern Miss, just finished his third season calling the offense for the Hurricanes, where he helped develop quarterback Cam Ward into the number 1 overall pick by the Tennessee Titans and had the nation's top offense in 2024 in both points per game (44) and yards (537).
Dawson was one of 15 semifinalists for the Broyles Award following the 2024 season.
His impact was immediate, as the Miami offense jumped from 85th in total offense into the top 25 in his first season.
No stranger to top 25 offenses, Dawson's run at Houston included top 25 rankings on the offensive side of the ball in scoring offense, first downs, passing offense and red zone offense.
Hetherman, a 2025 finalist for the Broyles Award, was hired away by Cristobal to return the Miami defense to dominant form after previous stops at James Madison under Curt Cignetti as well as Minnesota under PJ Fleck. His stamp of the defense was also immediate, helping them jump 65 spots from 70th to 5th in scoring defense in his first season as the team's defensive play caller.
Also notable, from his bio:
Miami was one of only 11 teams in all of FBS and four in Power-4 to improve its year-over-year scoring defense by double digits from 2024 to 2025. Under Hetherman’s direction, the Hurricanes ranked among the conference and national leaders in nearly every defensive category, including total defense (No. 12 nationally, No. 1 ACC), scoring defense (No. 5 nationally, No. 1 ACC), rushing defense (No. 6 nationally, No. 1 ACC) and team sacks (No. 4 nationally, No. 1 ACC).
At Minnesota, Hetherman also made an immediate impact, as he developed a top 10 scoring defense in his only season with the Gophers before being hired at Miami.
A former Division III quarterback at Fitchburg State, Hetherman cut his teeth as a play caller at the Division II level at Pace (D-II - NY) before making the jump to the FCS level at Maine for three seasons prior to coaching at JMU. He also spent a pair of seasons coaching the linebackers at Rutgers between play calling stops at JMU and Minnesota.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.