Miami's defense took one of the biggest jumps in the country last season and now the Hurricanes are expected to add another staffer with direct ties to the coach who helped engineer that turnaround.
Miami is expected to add Kansas defensive analyst Matt Birkett to its defensive staff. Birkett spent the 2025 season at Kansas under Lance Leipold, but the connection for Miami is his past with defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman.
Miami is expected to hire Kansas nickels coach/assistant defensive backs coach Matt Birkett as a member of its defensive staff, sources tell @CBSSports.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) May 22, 2026
Before Kansas, Birkett was a cornerbacks coach at USF and James Madison. pic.twitter.com/VcXn2Y3P0G
Miami adds Kansas assistant Matt Birkett to defensive staff
Birkett has spent much of his career working with defensive backs. He was an analyst for Kansas' defense after he arrived from Tulsa, where he also worked as a defensive analyst. Before that, he was the cornerbacks coach at USF in 2023.
Birkett spent the 2019-23 seasons at James Madison under Curt Cignetti. JMU's defense was ranked top 10 nationally in total defense in each of those four seasons. In 2021, James Madison led the country with 31 takeaways.
Hetherman was James Madison's defensive coordinator from 2019-21.
Birkett spent seven years at Maine from 2012-18, including time as defensive backs coach and cornerbacks coach. Hetherman was also at Maine from 2015-18, serving as defensive line coach before becoming defensive coordinator.
In 2018, Maine won the CAA championship and reached the FCS semifinals for the first time in program history. Maine led the CAA in six defensive categories that season.
Hetherman's first season in Coral Gables was a major success. The Hurricanes ranked No. 12 nationally and No. 1 in the ACC in total defense, No. 5 nationally and No. 1 in the ACC in scoring defense, No. 6 nationally and No. 1 in the ACC in rushing defense and No. 4 nationally and No. 1 in the ACC in team sacks. Miami was also one of only 11 FBS teams and four Power Four teams to improve its scoring defense by double digits from 2024 to 2025.
Miami is now building the defensive operation around Hetherman, and that was probably the easiest decision for the program to make in a long time.
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