The Miami Hurricanes are getting pretty thin at cornerback. Xavier Lucas, who started in Week 1 against Stanford, did not suit up for the home opener against Florida A&M. There has been no injury disclosure, so we'll have to wait until Mario Cristobal provides more information on just exactly what happened.
With Lucas out and OJ Frederique expected to miss an extended period of time, Miami will rely on some talented underclassmen behind Ethan O'Connor and Damari Brown. Expect to see the bench emptied against Florida A&M, but what might happen in the next few weeks?
Bryce Fitzgerald and Brown started at cornerback against FAMU with O'Connor expected to play a lot after being on the field for 46 snaps against Stanford. Freshman JJ Dunnigan got his first career start at safety.
Bryce Fitzgerald starts at outside corner with Xavier Lucas apparently out.
— Adam Lichtenstein (@ABLichtenstein) September 11, 2026
Freshman JJ Dunnigan also got the start, as did LB Kamal Bonner.
Miami makes eye-opening secondary moves in Xavier Lucas' absence
Fitzgerald was a Freshman All-American as a safety in 2025 and thought to be one of the top players in the country at the position this season, but Cristobal and Corey Hetherman have repeatedly said that many of the players in the secondary are interchangeable and have the ability to play on the boundary.
"This really exemplifies why you practice versatility throughout fall camp. I mean, every nickel has gotten reps at the boundary corner and the field corner, actually the strong safety. Five and six guys on the field at a time, and they've all got to be, at least most of them have to be capable of playing at least two to three positions," Cristobal said on the Joe Rose Show this week.
Dunnigan was one of the true freshmen who received a ton of fanfare in the spring and carried that momentum into fall camp and now on the field. He played 33 snaps against Stanford, the second most of any true freshman on the roster. If Dunnigan shows the coaches that he's ready for a full-time starting role at safety, it would give the Hurricanes a ton of flexibility to keep the most experienced players at cornerback.
Injuries happen in football and, unfortunately, for Miami, it's happening early and at the same position. But that's why Cristobal puts a premium on recruiting and roster retention, because that's how you build depth in today's college football. The commitment to recruiting and development is paying off early in the season for Miami. But the hope is that whatever Lucas is dealing with isn't serious and that Frederique will return at some point this season.
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