Corey Hetherman spent three years working under Curt Cignetti at James Madison from 2019-21. Now he’s on the opposite sideline, coordinating the Hurricanes’ defense. But his respect for Cignetti goes back even further than their time together. Before joining Cignetti’s staff, Hetherman was building his own program as defensive coordinator at Maine while watching what Cignetti was accomplishing at Elon.

“While being in that conference in 2017 and 2018, you can see what he was building in Elon,” Hetherman said this week. “That program got better and better in his years there. They did an unbelievable job with the product that was put on the field every week.

The culture that they created and the environment for those guys. Having an opportunity to coach against them in 2019. We played a game where they didn’t have a quarterback. How are they going to manage the game? How are they going to go about it? It was still an unbelievable game plan,” he recalled. 

The connections don’t stop with Curt Cignetti. When Hetherman arrived at JMU in 2019, Bryant Haines was already there as linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator.

“A lot of the staff from Elon went to JMU. They were pretty tight on defense. Ryan Smith and Bryant Haines, the two guys, had come from Elon. Both are unbelievable football coaches. Both have been very successful,” Hetherman explained. 

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When Hetherman left for Rutgers after the 2021 season, Cignetti promoted Haines to full defensive coordinator. Haines then followed Cignetti to Indiana in 2024.  “As we have gone our separate ways, we’ve been very close. We remain close, obviously, this week has been one of those things.” Hetherman said about his ongoing relationship with both Cignetti and Haines.​​

The mutual respect is evident, even with a national championship on the line. Cignetti spoke glowingly about his former coordinator earlier this week: “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 said. 

Hetherman’s aggressive, havoc-creating defense at Miami helped the Hurricanes knock off defending champion Ohio State in the semifinals. For 60 minutes on Monday night at Hard Rock Stadium, those long-standing relationships will be put aside as teacher faces student, and former colleagues battle for the sport’s ultimate prize.​

The blueprint for building a champion

What makes Monday’s matchup even more remarkable is that Hetherman isn’t the only Cignetti protege on Miami’s sideline. Running backs coach Matt Merritt also spent two seasons with Cignetti at Elon (2017-18) and another at JMU. This speaks to Cignetti’s greatest talent, identifying and developing coaching talent that eventually outgrows his program.

“He does a great job of hiring people,” IUP head coach Paul Tortorella told CBS Sports. “Not only good football coaches, but good people. He didn’t make many mistakes.”

Tortorella worked under both Frank Cignetti Sr. and his son Curt at the Division II program, watching the younger Cignetti build a traveling squad of loyalists who’ve followed him through four head coaching stops. 

His top two deputies, offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan and defensive coordinator Bryant Haines, started with him at IUP, making just $6,000 stipends. The loyalty runs both ways. Shanahan and Haines were barely making ends meet when Cignetti hired them at IUP. Shanahan came highly recommended after a graduate assistant stint at Pittsburgh, while Haines had spent a year under Urban Meyer at Ohio State. 

Cignetti saw the pedigree and the hunger, two qualities he values above all else. “He found those guys as stipend coaches and those poor guys were barely making ends meet, and he was loyal to them,” said Steve Roach, IUP’s athletic director during Cignetti’s tenure. “They were loyal to him. It says a lot about the chemistry between (Cignetti, Shanahan, and Haines), especially.” Both coordinators just signed three-year extensions in December, ensuring they’ll be part of Indiana’s future regardless of what happens Monday night.