The celebration in Indiana hasn’t stopped since its national title victory, and now there’s another reason to cheer. Their defensive performance this past season helped defensive coordinator Bryant Haines earn recognition as the nation’s top assistant coach. However, that honor came with a playful jab at Mario Cristobal’s Hurricanes’ DC.

“You know, it was our offense on the field going against Coach Hetherman’s defense, and I felt great about it,” said Haines in an interview with Holly Rowe after winning the Broyles Award on Thursday.

Miami’s DC Corey Hetherman was right there on the sidelines when his team narrowly lost to Indiana 27–21 in the 2025 national title game. The Hurricanes’ defense faced a top-tier offense in that game, with a QB1 like Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza making an impact in the most important game in college football.

Despite the unfavorable outcome, the Miami defense delivered a physical performance, proving Hetherman’s coaching ability. However, we cannot take away the fact that they fumbled many times during the game with costly penalties at crucial moments, like a pass interference penalty on a 3rd-and-6, that ultimately handed them a loss.

Considering this, at first glance, you may think Bryant Haines’ words directly point to Miami’s performance. But it’s actually a friendly jab, as Haines and Hetherman share a close friendship, having worked together at JMU under Curt Cignetti in 2019. At one point, they were even co-DCs. In fact, they reportedly shared thoughts on life and even fatherhood. Still, that didn’t change the fact that Hetherman was a finalist for this award too, but his friend, IU’s DC, ultimately won the award.

News served to you like never before!

Prefer us on Google, To get latest news on feed

Prefer Us on Google

Bryant Haines’s aggressive defensive scheme led the nation with 128 TFLs and 45 sacks, culminating in him becoming the first coach in Indiana history to win the Broyles Award. In fact, in the past five years, he has been nominated four times.

But this time, he beat Georgia’s Mike Bobo, Miami’s Corey Hetherman, and OSU’s Matt Patricia to get this honor.

“2025’s been a fantastic year for me,” said Haines. “It’s hard to one-up this one.”

Now, with newcomers and returning players on IU’s defensive line, the DC will lead the unit into the 2026 season. But that 2025 success came after a long coaching journey.

Bryant Haines has the trust of Indiana’s head coach

At 40, Bryant Haines made history, and under his leadership, the Hoosiers ranked top four nationally in total defense. Even during their CFP run, the unit suffocated opponents (Miami) to just 15.3 PPG. But that success came with a huge experience.

In 2009, Haines began at Manchester University, and then in 2012, he spent a year as a graduate assistant at Indiana. Following that, he started calling plays in 2022 at JMU under Curt Cignetti. But in 2023, when Cignetti eyed the IU job, Haines showed belief in him, and the results after two seasons at Indiana speak volumes. That trust was a two-way street, as Cignetti explained his confidence in Haines’s abilities.

“He’s a football guy,” said Cignetti. “So, not only is he good at the Xs and Os, but his philosophy is to attack. He wants to attack offenses. So the X and O part of it is his strength, but he’s a great teacher. … And I can’t say enough good things about Bryant Haines.”

So, the confidence was mutual, and Bryant Haines agreed to a new contract last December to stay with IU. It’s a three-year deal worth $3.1 million annually, which indicates that the pressure is on for Haines to prove that 2025’s historic success was not a fluke.