Breaking: Cristobal intercepts new Tulane DC Lance Guidry and lures him to Miami to replace Kevin Steele

Lance Guidry might be one of the best kept secrets in defensive football as he created his most recent and greatest body of work at Marshall University, where he crafted one of the nation’s best defenses last season. But that anonymity is about to change for Guidry as sources have told CaneSport that the newly announced Tulane defensive coordinator has agreed to alter his course to become the Miami Hurricanes’ new defensive coordinator.

When Kevin Steele took the DC job at Alabama Sunday, Miami head coach Mario Cristobal clearly knew who he wanted at the top of his search., moving quickly on Guidry only hours after Tulane announced his hiring there.

Guidry will bring an aggressive and creative defensive style to The U as Cristobal looks to inject life into a unit that was up and down a year ago.

It is the second year in a row that Cristobal has snatched a new coordinator hire out from under an apparent new destination school by convincing Guidry to come to Miami days after he arrived at Tulane. Last year, Cristobal hired Steele a few days after he had been announced as the new defensive coordinator at Maryland.

Guidry was the defensive coordinator for Marshall for the last two years, and in 2022 his defense ranked among the nation’s best with a top 10 ranking in 12 different major categories.

The Thundering Herd were ranked in first in third down defense (23.5), second in stop rate (78.4), third in passing defense efficiency (104.67) and yards per play (4.6), fifth in rush defense (93.0) and turnovers gained (29), sixth in scoring defense (16.0) and passes intercepted (18), eighth in total defense (294.5), ninth in first down defense (200), 12th in defensive touchdowns (3), 16th in team sacks (2.92), 19th in red zone defense (76.7), 22nd in tackles for loss (6.9) and fumbles recovered (11), 27th in passing yards allowed (201.5) plus 29th in fourth down defense (42.9). Six of the players he coached in 2022 earned All-Sun Belt Conference honors, including a pair on the first team.

His defense forced 29 turnovers and had 18 interceptions with 38 sacks. Opponents averaged 16.0 points and 294.5 yards per game. While most of the schedule was the likes of Norfolk State, Troy, James Madison, Coastal Carolina and the like, the team did also win at Notre Dame, 26-21, beat App State 28-21 and beat UConn, 28-14.

In his first season in the position with the Thundering Herd in 2021, Guidry’s defensive squad led Conference USA and placed among the top 30 nationally in passing efficiency defense (12th – 117.56), sacks (18th – 3.08) and tackles for loss (30th – 6.6). His defense also placed among the top five in conference in third down defense (5th – 37.2), fourth down defense (5th – 47.1), passing yards allowed (2nd – 205.3), red zone defense (3rd -74.4) and scoring defense (2nd – 23.8). Nine of the team’s defensive players were recognized by the C-USA in their end of the season awards.

So this is a coach who has proven himself over multiple seasons.

Miami is the newest stop on a coaching resume that dates back to when he was a graduate assistant at McNeese State (his alma mater where he played DB) in 1994. He coached in the high school ranks for five years before returning to McNeese State as DB coach and then coordinator from 2002-03. He was then back coaching high school in Louisiana from 2005-07, coached the Miami (Ohio) DBs in 2009-10 and moved on to Western Kentucky as coordinator in 2011-12. From 2013-15 he was coordinator at McNeese State, taking over there as head coach from 2016-18 (and compiling a 22-13 record). After his tenure ended there it was on to Southeastern Louisiana as coordinator for one year, then he was safeties coach at FAU in 2020 before taking over as the Marshall coordinator.

Guidry preaches a tough, physical, attacking style of defense. And he confuses offenses by using a variety of looks with the same personnel. At Marshall he used five defensive backs the vast majority of the time, with a linebacker taking the DB’s spot about 30 percent of the game. He typically runs a 4-2-5, with two tackles with their hands in the dirt and stand up ends. Having seven in the box is the norm for his defenses.

Before Guidry went to Marshall, in his last stop at coordinator in 2019 at Southeastern Louisiana, that unit had 16 interceptions and 54 pass breakups. But the team struggled allowing 29.4 points and 414.3 yards per game.

Prior to that as coordinator? In 2015 his defense ranked 12th nationally in total defense at McNeese State the year before he was elevated to head coach (allowing a tad over 300 yards per game), third in both scoring defense and red zone defense, and fourth in rushing defense. In addition, the Cowboys’ defense ranked second in 4th-down conversion defense, sixth in first downs defense, and seventh in 3rd-down conversion defense.

Also worth mentioning is that in 2012, Guidry’s Western Kentucky defense was a force nationally in his final year there. That group ranked in the top 40 in seven different national defensive categories. The Guidry-led D ranked 23rd nationally in total defense (344.42) and 12th in the nation in tackles for loss per game (7.42). His squad also ranked at the top of four defensive categories in the Sun Belt Conference, including total defense, pass defense efficiency (128.4), sacks (31) and first down defense (19.3), while ranking second in rushing defense (136.6), scoring defense (25.6), passing defense (206.2) and interceptions (13).

Now the veteran 51-year-old is headed to Miami. He takes over a Canes defense that fared well in Steele’s lone season – Miami allowed an average of 23.6 points and 367.1 yards per game. The team also had 37 sacks in 12 games. But the season also was marked by mental busts that negatively impacted some games, a challenge Guidry will have to tackle head on.