Miami Hurricanes defensive coordinator Lance Guidry was relieved of his duties on Tuesday, as announced by head coach Mario Cristobal. This decision came three days after the No. 13 Hurricanes (10-3) suffered a narrow 42-41 defeat to No. 18 Iowa State (11-3) in the Pop-Tarts Bowl held in Orlando, Florida. The loss marked the third in Miami’s past four games, following a 9-0 start to the season. The Hurricanes also fell 28-23 at Georgia Tech on November 9 and 42-38 at Syracuse on November 30.
Guidry, 53, had completed his second season as the defensive coordinator for the Hurricanes, having previously served in the same role at Marshall, Southeastern Louisiana, McNeese State, and Western Kentucky. In a press release, Coach Cristobal expressed gratitude for Guidry’s contributions to the University of Miami but emphasized the need for change in the defensive scheme to enhance the program’s performance.
“I want to first thank Coach Guidry for his contributions to the University of Miami,” Cristobal stated. “In a continuous effort to always improve all aspects of our program, I have decided to make a change on defense. We will move forward and make decisions that provide our players, staff and program the best opportunity to win and develop at the highest level.”
Throughout the 2024 season, the Hurricanes allowed an average of 25.3 points per game, ranking 70th among 134 FBS programs, reflecting a need for defensive adjustments moving forward.
