Pro Football Focus posted the grades for their projected top four cornerbacks and two safeties for Miami entering the 2025 season. O.J. Frederique is the highest graded Miami CB by PFF entering the 2025 season. Frederique is followed by Ethan O'Connor, Charles Brantley and Xavier Lucas.
Incoming Jacksonville State transfer Zechariah Poyser and rising sophomore Zaquan Patterson are the only two safeties listed by PFF. Miami also returns rising redshirt junior Markeith Williams to add safety depth in 2025.
It was surprising PFF left Damari Brown off of their list of the projected top 2025 Miami CBs. Brown missed all but two games in 2024 because of an injury. PFF gave Brown a sub-65.0 overall grade during the 2023 season when he played in 10 games and started three.
Frederique had a breakout true freshman season in 2024 when he had 30 tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss, seven pass breakups, one interception and eight passes defended. Frederique and Poyser both earned Freshmen All-American honors from various media outlets after the 2024 season.
Miami has a new look secondary👀 pic.twitter.com/m6iOm1JY0G
— PFF College (@PFF_College) January 27, 2025
O'Connor started all 12 games for Washington State as a redshirt freshman in 2024 with 32 tackles with 1,0 TFL and led the Cougars with four interceptions and eight pass breakups. As a true freshman in 2023, O'Connor played in two games while taking a redshirt season. O'Connor has three seasons of eligibility remaining.
Brantley played in nine games with Michigan State before missing the last 3.5 due to injury. In his junior season, Brantley had 27 tackles, 1.5 TFLs and led Michigan State with three interceptions and seven pass breakups. Brantley has evolved from a three-star high school prospect to a four-star transfer.
There has been a lot of controversy surrounding Lucas leaving Wisconsin for Miami. Lucas had 18 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 0.5 sacks, one interception and two pass breakups as a true freshman for Wisconsin in 2024. Lucas is the highest-ranked player on the 2025 Miami roster who is arriving from another college program.
Miami in a matter of a couple of weeks has gone from one of the weakest DB rooms in the country to one of the youngest and deep rooms in not only the ACC but the country.
— Kev (@Smith31Kev) January 17, 2025
Poyser will help stabilize a Miami safety group whose inconsistency contributed to Miami squandering a chance at a College Football Playoff berth in 2024. As a redshirt freshman for Jacksonville State in 2024, Poyser had 75 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, four interceptions, 12 passes defended and two fumble recoveries.
Patterson returns for his sophomore season after being the highest-rated defensive signee in the 2024 Miami class. Patterson played in all 13 games for Miami with one start in 2024 and had 19 tackles, three pass breakups and three passes defended per his official Miami account.
The addition of the four incoming defensive backs, plus the further development of Frederique and Patterson should significantly improve the Miami secondary in 2025. Miami has to limit big plays in the secondary and play more consistently throughout the season.