Miami's Secondary Takes a Critical Hit, Now Looks Towards Depth for Answers

CORAL GABLES, Fla. — The Miami Hurricanes' secondary entered this season as one of the best in the country. Depth, talent, and experience lead the charge, along with their star players OJ Frederique Jr, Xavier Lucas, and others.

However, Miami lost one of its players in the second snap of the game, and he will be out for a while, according to Mario Cristobal.

"OJ suffered a pretty good injury, pretty significant injury, so he'll be down for quite a while," Cristobal said during his Monday press conference.

Mario Cristobal with an OJ Frederique Jr Injury update: "OJ suffered a pretty good injury, pretty significant injury, so he'll be down for a while."
— Justice Sandle (@Justice_News5) September 7, 2026

Moreover, Frederique wasn't the only secondary player who was missing. Sophomore Ja'Boree Antoine will be out for a while as well, while junior Dylan Day will be back either this week or next.

"Ja'Boree is going to be out for a little bit. You know, he's suffered an injury, and we expect him to come back in the latter part of the season," Cristobal said. Dylan Day will be back soon.  His was a non-football-related illness, so if he doesn't make it in time for this game, he'll be back in time for the next one."

Miami Hurricanes Secondary Snap Count:

Jan 8, 2026; Glendale, AZ, USA; Miami Hurricanes defensive back Zechariah Poyser (7) against the Mississippi Rebels during the 2026 Fiesta Bowl and semifinal game of the College Football Playoff at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

DB: Zechariah Poyser -- 61 Bryce Fitzgerald -- 61 Damari Brown - 55 Omar Thornton -- 40 Xavier Lucas -- 39 JJ Dunnigan -- 33 Ethan O'Connor -- 26 Isaiah Taylor -- 9 Camdin Portis -- 9 Ryan Mack -- 9 Chris Ewald Jr. -- 9 Cortez Redding -- 4 OJ Frederique Jr. -- 2

Now the Hurricanes are adjusting to the future, starting with Damari Brown's return and playing younger players like JJ Dunnigan.

Brown has been in and out of the lineup thanks to injuries over the past two seasons. He is healthy entering this year and will now be relied on with the injury to the Hurricanes' star corner.

Sep 4, 2026; Stanford, California, USA; Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal prepares for an interview after defeating the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Cristobal loves the talent in the room and the physicality they bring. Moreover, he likes the depth, even some of the injuries holding them back.

"Damari did good," Cristobal said. "He did a lot of good stuff. He's very physical, you know? We put those guys on an island sometimes, and that's tough duty, and for the most part, they are really, really good job. He's very physical in the run game.

"In terms of the young guys, a lot, you know, we played tortoise a bunch, and Brody's come a long way, really, really well. Ryan Mack, I played well. Really playing better and better every single week ago. We're depending upon. You guys saw J.J. get in there, obviously a very physical presence. The guy that could play his own man coverage and stick his face in her in the run game and play in the box as well. So a lot of guys play really, really well."

Miami will face off against Florida A&M in their season opener on Thursday at 8:00 p.m. ET on ACC Network +, where most of the Canes' depth will be seen in action.

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