OJ Frederique is setting the tone for what's expected of Miami's secondary this season

With Keionte Scott and Jakobe Thomas off to the NFL, the Miami Hurricanes are in the market for a new leader in the secondary, and cornerback OJ Frederique wants to be the guy.

Frederique is heading into his third season and has quickly established himself as the guy to beat on the left side of the secondary. He was thrown in the fire early as a true freshman in 2024 and worked through expected growing pains to become a reliable player that the coaches trust to handle business on his side of the field.

OJ Frederique is raising his game at the right time

Frederique is another great example of the Hurricanes coaching staff's ability to evaluate. He was a three-star recruit out of St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale. The 247Sports Composite had Frederique rated as the 784th-best prospect in the country and the 67th-best cornerback.

He committed to Miami in the summer of 2023, choosing the Hurricanes after backing away from his pledge to West Virginia. FSU and UCF were his only other Power 4 offers, with Florida Atlantic, Jacksonville State, Appalachian State and Temple rounding out the rest of his list.

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It's not unusual for a powerhouse program like St. Thomas Aquinas to have some very good players fall through the cracks, but usually those players end up out of state...at programs like West Virginia and repeatedly burn the in-state schools that shunned them. But, Miami smartly got ahead of the game on Frederique and the Hurricanes have reaped the benefits. 

"I was blessed enough to come here and make an impact early. I think I took advantage of those opportunities I had in practice," Frederique said during pre-camp media day.

And to Frederique's credit, he has the perfect mentality to be a cornerback at Miami. He's fearless on the field and is more than willing to take on a challenge. Frederique stepped up on reps against Jeremiah Smith in the Cotton Bowl and was eager to take snaps against some of the best receivers in the country. 

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This year Frederique won't have to worry about finding the challenges because he'll be on the hip of the top opposing wide receiver every week. He's up for the test too, crediting the Miami strength and conditioning staff for him being stronger and faster to be more physical in defending the pass. 

"Something I want to do is stay consistent," Frederique added. "Last year, a lot of stuff happened that I couldn't do anything about, but this year, with them helping me get stronger and faster and me being a smarter player and knowing what to do off the field in terms of treatment."

It's go time for Frederique, who is getting some serious buzz as a top cornerback in the 2027 NFL Draft. Miami has a loaded secondary and Frederique is ready to stand out in the crowd. 

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