Same here and I'm sure we missed him but the injuries had a much bigger impact than his departure. In 2023 we had 3 guys who are considered high level DC's if you count Schiano. All high energy guys who got the D fired up too. But it's hard to get a guy playing hurt to get too fired up and play "violent" every snap. Much easier when everyone is healthy. Plus we had a lot of missed assignments this year with new guys forced into action.
Based on the recruiting class and the portal additions I'm guessing recruits are buying in on the Defensive side of the ball.
Injuries played a part in it, but if you dig deep, the style and the way the defense was called were not the same. Hetherman was much more aggressive than Harasymiak, and I'm not talking strictly blitzing. Hetherman was aggressive in taking away what teams wanted to do on offense, while Harasymiak played a more read-and-react style. Harasymiak gave up plays in the flats because he was more concerned with getting beat deep. Hetherman didn't want to get beat deep either, but the minute the ball was in the air to a receiver in the flat area, the corners rallied quickly to keep gains to a minimum. How often did you see a simple play in the flat turn into a 40 gain under Harasymiak's leadership? I think Hetherman held the players more accountable. Therefore, guys played at a higher level. How else do you explain a player like Igbinosun who looked like a baller one year but, under Harasymiak, had to be replaced? Players don't fall off a cliff at this stage of their playing career. It has more to do with who is coaching them, how they are held to a certain standard, and how motivated they are to play for their leader.
