Back when Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer was getting his first job as an offensive coordinator in the NFL, in 2006, a little-known quarterback at Fitchburg State in Massachusetts named Corey Hetherman was wrapping up his playing career and beginning his coaching journey as the QB coach at his alma mater. He moved slowly through jobs at small schools in the Bay State–Springfield College, Western New England–but finally moved up to Old Dominion, then Maine and James Madison before going to Rutgers in the Big Ten.
Now, Hetherman is the defensive coordinator at Miami, a team that is playing for the national championship against Indiana on Monday, January 19. And according to one prominent Dallas Cowboys observer–veteran columnist Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News–Hetherman should be the next defensive coordinator on Schottenheimer’s staff.
It would be a radical step up for Hetherman, and a bold, off-the-radar hire by Dallas as the team searches for its replacement for Matt Eberflus. But there’s some logic to the notion.
Corey Hetherman Leading Top College Defense
Cowlishaw recalled that it was Cowboys owner Jerry Jones who once plucked Miami Hurricanes head coach Jimmy Johnson from the collegiate ranks, and rode his talents–and confidence–to three Super Bowls. He creates some parallels with Hetherman, who is a bit more reserved but still passionate and patrolling the sidelines at The U.
And he’s put forth a dominant defense in his lone season in Miami.
Writes Cowlishaw: “What if the University of Miami is the right place to look more than 35 years after Jones bought the team from Bum Bright, flew to Austin to fire Tom Landry and then hired Jimmy Johnson away from the Hurricanes to refill the Cowboys’ trophy case?”
Miami allowed 292 yards per game this year, 11th in college football, and leads the nation with 47 sacks. Pro Football Focus ranks their defense No. 4 in the nation, and rates them the top pass-rush team with a grade of 92.5.
GettyBrian Schottenheimer, head coach of the Dallas Cowboys
Cowboys Could Use Corey Hetherman’s ‘Intensity’
One guy who could probably vouch for Hetherman as the potential successor to Eberflus for the Cowboys is Curt Cignetti, the Indiana coach who was the head coach at James Madison when he brought on Hetherman as a defensive coach in 2019. Cignetti is now facing Hetherman in the championship game.
Cignetti said pressure is a Hetherman staple: “Philosophically, you know, in terms of what we think is important, him and I, that hasn’t changed. He’s going to create havoc up front, stop the run, TFLs, sacks. They got 47 sacks on the year.
“He’s going to attack. The way he goes about it is a little different than the way he went about it at JMU. But the way we go about it offensively is a little different, too. So, I’ve got a lot of respect for Corey. He did a tremendous job. I hated to see him go. I hold him in very high regard. He’s one of the best football coaches I’ve ever been around. His day-in-and-day-out intensity and his commitment to the game is unparalleled.”
Outside the Box for the Cowboys?
That sounds, of course, like the kind of coach Schottenheimer would like to have aboard with the Cowboys. The team has been progressing through its coordinator interviews, and while there have been some surprises–Jim Leonhard has limited NFL experience and internal candidate Aaron Whitecotton was not expected to get a long look for the job, but both were interviewed–there has not been any real shocker.
Hetherman would be. And, hey, it worked the last time Jones plucked a Cowboys coach from the Hurricanes.
“It’s time for that cocky version of Jones to do it again. I’m not so sure about the championships but let’s start with getting back to the playoffs. And the answer is working at the University of Miami once again, with one championship game left to play,” Cowlishaw wrote.
And that answer could be Hetherman.
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