There might be help on the way for the Miami Hurricanes' banged-up secondary after Mario Cristobal announced that cornerback Xavier Lucas has been progressing nicely and has a chance to return in Week 5 against Clemson. This is a pleasant surprise for the Canes, and at the right time.
Lucas, who started at corner across from OJ Frederique, was injured in the second half of the season opener against Stanford. When the injury was announced, Cristobal believed that he would miss the first half of the season. This announcement speeds up the timeline by a few weeks, and even if Lucas is not able to go on Saturday against the Tigers, the fact that Cristobal is mentioning him suggests that he is close.
The Hurricanes were bitten hard by the injury bug in September, but as we approach October and the seasons begin to change, maybe some health and good fortune are finding their way to Coral Gables. Both defensive lineman Armondo Blount and another cornerback, Damari Brown, are expected to play against Clemson. Frederique, who was also injured against Stanford, is still out indefinitely.
Some injury updates from Mario Cristobal:
— Adam Lichtenstein (@ABLichtenstein) September 28, 2026
-DL Armondo Blount should be good to go vs. Clemson
-DB Damari Brown, who did not play vs. Central Michigan, should also be able to play.
-DB Xavier Lucas is going to be evaluated later this week and may be able to play Saturday.
Miami's secondary depth has been stretched by injuries
Lucas and Frederique going down in the first game of the season turned one of Miami's deepest areas on the roster into one where Corey Hetherman had to make some adjustments on the fly that forced him to put some freshmen in immediate action. The biggest move was moving Bryce Fitzgerald from safety to cornerback and inserting true freshman JJ Dunnigan into the starting lineup.
That decision has worked out extremely well, as Fitzgerald has been steady on the boundary and Dunnigan has been playing at a high level, providing a major physical presence and the ability to get to the quarterback when Hetherman decides to implement the nickel as an extra pass rusher.
Going into the season, it was easy to feel good about the Hurricanes at cornerback because the two players backing up Lucas and Frederique — Brown and Ethan O'Connor, had plenty of experience and were part-time starters over the past few seasons. But both were pushed into starting roles again and when Brown was unable to play against Central Michigan, it forced more players to move over to corner, including Omar Thornton.
As long as Brown plays, the Hurricanes can at least get back to the three-man corner rotation they've used for the past few weeks. But if Lucas plays, even in a limited role, it opens up a ton of possibilities to get Fitzgerald and Dunnigan moving around on the back end and providing some different and confusing looks for Tait Reynolds, especially on passing downs. Fitzgerald is a natural ball hawk who has shown a much more technical side to his game since moving to corner.
Eventually, the Miami secondary will get back to full health and when it does, the experience gained from players increasing their roles and moving positions will give Hetherman a wealth of options down the stretch.
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