Up-and-coming Gophers defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman has Rutgers roots, too

From Kirk Ciarrocca and Joe Harasymiak to Athan Kaliakmanis and Flip Dixon, the Minnesota-to-Rutgers coaching and player pipeline has flowed eastward for the most part. But the most recent person who’s made the westward Rutgers-to-Minnesota journey just might have the biggest say in what happens when the Gophers meet the Scarlet Knights on Saturday in Piscataway, N.J.

Corey Hetherman, the Gophers’ first-year defensive coordinator, spent the 2022 and ‘23 seasons as linebackers coach at Rutgers. Hetherman, a native of Oxford, Mass., replaced Joe Rossi, another Rutgers coaching alum who left Minnesota to become defensive coordinator at Michigan State.

Hetherman has quickly put his stamp on the Gophers defense, a ball-hawking group that ranks second nationally with 15 interceptions, 12th nationally with 16.8 points allowed per game and ninth nationally in total defense, allowing an average of 290.6 yards. In down-to-the wire victories over USC, UCLA and Illinois, the Gophers defense secured each victory with a takeaway in the final minute of the fourth quarter.

Where coach P.J. Fleck stresses complementary football among the offense, defense and special teams, Hetherman breaks it down with the defense so the line, linebackers and secondary complement each other, too.

“Everything always has to be tied in,” Hetherman said. “We always have to work together on the front end and back end. There’s no ‘every once in a while’ with certain coverages. The majority of the things we do, it’s all tied in from the front to the back.”

The back end, especially at safety, is where the Gophers have surprised with how quickly they’ve adjusted to life without Tyler Nubin, the All-America safety who’s a rookie with the New York Giants. True freshman Koi Perich burst onto the scene with his five interceptions, which rank second in the nation. Redshirt freshman Kerry Brown ranks second on the team with 43 tackles and has two interceptions. Redshirt sophomore Aidan Gousby has 20 tackles.

Perich had game-sealing interceptions against USC and UCLA, and Brown followed last week with back-to-back big plays at Illinois. With the Gophers leading 22-17 with 4:05 left and Illinois at the Minnesota 33-yard line, Brown dropped running back Josh McCray for a 2-yard loss on third-and-2. On the next play, Brown knocked down Luke Altmyer’s pass intended for Zakhari Franklin, producing a turnover on downs with 3:17 to play.

“Early in the game, he comes down the line of scrimmage and misses a tackle,” Hetherman said. “Late in the game, he has the same exact play. He takes a shot; he makes the tackle for loss. He’s a guy who’s going to get better every single time he has something. And it’s over and over again. … He’s a fast learner. He loves football. He cares about getting better every single rep.”

Said Brown: “We do it every time in practice. I was just remembering the reps and the practices and being able to parlay that into the game.”

Perich and Brown are two of the 14 semifinalists for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award, selected by the Maxwell Football Club.

The Gophers are getting strong play from their defensive line, too. Defensive end Jah Joyner’s strip sack of Altmyer forced a fumble that end Danny Striggow recovered at the Minnesota 27 with 29 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Defensive end Anthony Smith posted his third sack and seventh quarterback hurry of the season, categories in which he ranks second on the team, behind Joyner.

“Our guys are playing so happy, so fast, and they’re being obsessed with the football,” Hetherman said. “That’s what we love to see. That’s what we want to see when we turn the film on. And our guys are doing a good job affecting the pocket, matching the hand of the quarterback, collapsing the pocket, where now the quarterback maybe can’t step up, which affects where the ball flies.”