Carson Beck is kicking off a brand new chapter with the Hurricanes. The former Georgia QB took a lot of heat during the 2024 season, catching flak for a ton of interceptions, especially in games like the Alabama one. He bounced back later in the season, but his momentum was cut short by a UCL injury during the SEC Championship game. He’s still not fully recovered, but his choice to join the Miami Hurricanes—out of all the portal schools—was a huge leap of faith.
Now the question is, will this leap turn into a disaster for Beck as he heads to one of the most high-profile programs out there?
Mario Cristobal and the Miami Hurricanes blocked Carson Beck’s projected future
If you ranked college football programs from best to worst, Mario Cristobal and his Miami Hurricanes would probably land somewhere in the middle. They ended their season and playoff hopes with a tough loss against Syracuse. They also had a pretty quiet showing in the Pop-Tart Bowl, losing to Iowa State by just one point. Heading into the new season, the head coach doesn’t seem to be in a great spot. The team’s flawed offense could really hurt Carson Beck’s chances. Cristobal just hasn’t been able to shake off the disappointing details of the past.
But the head coach has high hopes for the standout Georgia QB, as he chose to grow with the Canes both from a personal and professional standpoint. Beck has his girl, Hanna Cavinder, who is with the University of Miami’s women’s basketball squad. Also, a whopping $4 million and the opportunity to be a part of the Canes offense possibly played a role in his initial decision.
But before Beck even throws on a Hurricanes jersey, Cristobal’s got some serious behind-the-scenes moves happening. The Hurricanes have snagged a new defensive coordinator! Corey Hetherman, who was running Minnesota’s defense, is now taking over the same role at Miami. He’s replacing Lance Guidry, who Miami let go back in December. ”I would give him credit for firing Guidry for understanding that somebody needs to assess,” Joe Deleone noted.
Then Blake Ruffino added, ”You can not just have a guy that comes in and say we are fixed when you give up explosive plays to it normally for a couple of reasons; people were out of alignment and assignment; it wasn’t a DB room that this was not happening to; you have multiple five five star defensive linemen and linebackers. They were not hitting the right hol-s in the running game; they were getting out of contain running. ” Ruffino kept on raising serious concern for Beck and his dream school.
Cristobal made some explosive moves on the defensive line, welcoming a heavy-burden Minnesota coach on the board. ”Bringing in DC Hetherman from Minnesota, they were a great tackling team. Let’s see what happens, but I am not sold that you can get drastically better.” Blake Ruffino dished the details on Cristobal’s massive coaching decision. And for Beck, this means he’s likely going to be playing behind a defense that could still struggle, putting even more pressure on him to perform. It’s not exactly the ideal situation for a quarterback trying to raise his draft stocks for 2026.
The Hurricanes’ new defensive coordinator has a big-digit buyout
Minnesota defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman is taking his talent and gift to the University of Miami. Hetherman succeeded Lance Guidry, whom Miami had turned its back on in mid-2024.
Hetherman spent only one season as the Gophers’ defensive coordinator and had some solid success. He stands tall as Minnesota ranked ninth in the nation in points allowed per game (16.9) and fifth in the nation in yards allowed per game (285.7). The Gophers earn No. 12 and No. 9 spot, respectively, on pass offense and pass defense. So, the school with this much defensive glory demands attention. It’s no surprise that there would be a line of coaches and crews to settle their chance with the position. He can bring new life to the Canes’ defense, but the financial aspect of the deal was not a wise call.
Hetherman was doing amazing things with Minnesota’s defense—a top-10 unit nationally in 2024! They rewarded him in December with a contract extension, bumping his pay from $850,000 to a cool $1 million per year for both 2025 and 2026, according to the Pioneer Press. But, apparently, that wasn’t enough to keep him. Miami came in with an offer he couldn’t refuse (the details of which haven’t been made public). To get him, Miami also had to shell out a hefty six-figure buyout to Minnesota—the Pioneer Press reports it’s around $600,000, as stipulated in Hetherman’s new contract with Minnesota.
The aspect looks like a tantalizing recipe for the Canes’ future with the typical share of sweet, spice, and sour.
Leave a Reply