Even with Miami's Secondary Depleted Early, Untapped Talent Remains

Who do you look to when most of your talent is down with injuries?

That is the sole question the Miami Hurricanes have exiting week one of an already electric college football season.

It is almost the same problem they had during the Cam Ward year. Defensively, the team was already not the best because of its schemes, but it also lacked secondary health and depth.

No. 7 Miami (1-0, 1-0 ACC) entered this season knowing they would have one of the best, if not the best, offenses in the country. They also believed they had one of the best secondaries.

It's almost dejavu with the Canes this season. Already, their star corner will "be out for quite a while," per head coach Mario Cristobal.

Positive: OJ Frederique Jr. hasn't been ruled out for the season, even with the challenges of getting full answers out of private school coaches. It also means that the Canes have a glimmer of hope to get him back for a deep College Football Playoff run.

That's if they make it there.

Sep 4, 2026; Stanford, California, USA; Miami Hurricanes defensive back Ethan O'Connor (24) warms up prior to a game against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Negative: Miami needs some answers now. That journey continues with Florida A&M in its Thursday home season opener, similar to open tryouts for those not playing. The Canes are expecting junior Dylan Day to return either this week or next week, but the Canes will be without Frederique Jr. and Ja'Boree Antoine.

Damari Brown, Ethan O'Connor, and Xavier Lucas will have to man the outside. Zechariah Poyser and Omar Thornton will be inside. Who else?

"Yeah, obviously OJ is a very talented player," Defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman said. "For us, I think we have a lot of really talented players, and, we'll change things up. Different things coverage-wise, different things in different areas, but, I think we're going to continue to attack offensively the way we do. So I think we have a lot of really talented players that will step up.

JJ Dunnigan TFL pic.twitter.com/iiqu3rR9aj
— Grant Reacts (@GrantReacts1) September 5, 2026

Freshman Camdin Portis and JJ Dunnigan played meaningful snaps for the Canes against Stanford. They will see more time over the next two weeks against FAMU and in another important conference game at Wake Forest.

This depth is also a time for Cristobal's recruiting to shine. Dunnigan has been making noise since he arrived on campus, while Portis continues to work his way to the top. He will see more playing time now, and if he can live up to the family Hurricanes legacy, Miami's back end will be fine.

This also puts defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman in a position to show what he's made of. Hetherman is on the younger side, and even with a contract extension, he will be a hot commodity for a head coaching position.

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