Miami fans are in quite a pickle. On one hand, they want nothing but a better finish than last season. On the other hand, they will still find it hard to digest the fact that Carson Beck will be leading the offense. Mario Cristobal has gone all in ahead of this 2025 season, betting it all on his units to at least guarantee a playoff spot this season. But in the event that the HC’s Carson Beck plan nosedives, he has a silver lining in place too.
Even with a No. 1 draft pick like Cam Ward, Miami couldn’t land in the playoffs, let alone hope for the National Championship. But even having the best player in college football could not help Cristobal book a playoff seat. Miami lost to Syracuse and Iowa State in extremely close matchups, which shouldn’t have been the case. A reason why that happened was the defense failing to keep the opposing offense behind, which led to the firing of then-DC Lance Guidry.
“You wonder what could have been: Cam Ward plus a decent defense. You could have won the national title, for all we know,” Josh Pate said in a July 21 episode of Gramlich & Mac Lain. But that defense is a thing of the past, and Miami has a new quarterback in play. Cristobal brought Corey Heatherman as DC, who comes after designing a stellar defense for Minnesota. His defense last season finished top 5 in total defense and 10 in scoring. That potential and his commanding aura seem to be what Miami needs, according to Pate.
“Is he the scariest-looking defensive coordinator you’ve ever met? That’s what you got to have… You want to talk about instantly sort of grabbing the room by the throat, and everyone shuts their mouth and listens,” the analyst continued. But if his successes from Minnesota and before carry over to Coral Gables, then Carson Beck and Mario Cristobal can both heave a sigh of relief. “What if Carson Beck is not good enough, to just be relied on to hang 45 like Cam Ward? But [if] he is good enough for 30 a week, and that’s all they need; because they scaled up defensively enough,” Pate highlighted.
Corey Heatherman also has a stellar record in the FCS, bagging the AFCA FCSA Assistant Coach of the Year in 2021 with James Madison. That year, his defense gave the Dukes a shot at the semis in the FCS championship. Minnesota knew that Heatherman was valuable; he signed an extension until the end of the 2026 season and an increased salary of $1.2 million. But Mario Cristobal needed him more, and Heatherman is suddenly in a marquee program for the first time in his life.
A lot is riding on Cristobal, who seems to have a pattern of finishing with near-misses, despite taking Miami to a better position. However, if both his staff and players fail, there could be some serious trouble awaiting him.
Mario Cristobal’s important new additions must find a balance
Miami’s biggest point of caution ahead of the 2025 season was always going to be Cam Ward’s absence. He was the key unit that helped Cirstobal and Co. finish with a 10-3 record, sorely missing the playoffs. This time, with the somewhat-worthy replacement of Carson Beck and a new DC in Corey Heatherman, there’s little reason for Miami to fail. But if he does, even after being dealt these cards, Mario Cristobal’s future could be at risk.
David Pollack seemed to have doubts about Miami’s success, based on the failure from last season. He said in a July 8 episode of See Ball Get Ball, “I’m never going to pick Miami to win anything of consequence, [it] is because I don’t think they’ve done a good job when they need it the most, and their staff needs to go get them a win and be organized. And I just like Cam Ward to me did it freestyling a lot.” Now there are no particular players or staff named in Pollack’s claim. But the ones with the most impact are undoubtedly Carson Beck and Corey Heatherman.
Year 4 traditionally does not bode well for Miami coaches. Al Golden and Randy Shannon went below 10 wins in their fourth seasons with the Hurricanes. But Cristobal seems to have better elements in play to break this curse. There are some question marks here and there, his biggest being the success of Carson Beck. Do you think Cristobal and Beck will be able to make a difference with Corey Heatherman as DC?
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