Miami’s Bryce Fitzgerald is already on the Jim Thorpe Award radar.
The Hurricanes defensive back was placed on the watch list Wednesday, making him the lone Miami defender to land on the preseason group for the award that goes to the nation’s top secondary player, with recognition tied to on-field performance, athletic ability and character.
Fitzgerald’s name fits there for a reason. The Christopher Columbus High School product put together a strong freshman season, finishing with 16 total tackles, 10 solo stops, six assists, a tackle for loss, a sack, two passes broken up and eight defended. He also led the Atlantic Coast Conference with six interceptions, played in all 16 games, started four times and earned Freshman All-American honors from the Football Writers Association of America.
Now he’s moving into a bigger role. Fitzgerald was productive last season while working behind veteran players, but with fall camp ongoing, he’s projected to step into a full-time starting job. In a YouTube video posted in late July on his channel, he said he had added 20 pounds of muscle and hinted at a move from safety to nickelback.
The Miami native had already made his ambitions clear before camp even began. In mid-June, he posted on Instagram that one of his personal goals for the season is to win the Jim Thorpe Award.
He’s also shown he can deliver in the biggest moments. In the first round of the College Football Playoffs against Texas A&M, Fitzgerald grabbed two interceptions.
The second came at the goal line with less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter, helping secure Miami’s first win in College Football Playoff history and sending the Hurricanes on to the National Championship game.
Fitzgerald now joins a crowded field of Power Four defensive backs on the watch list, including Georgia safety KJ Bolden, Alabama cornerback Zabien Brown, Indiana safety Amare Ferrell, Oregon cornerback Brandon Finney Jr., Clemson cornerback Ashton Hampton, Michigan cornerback Jyaire Hill, Alabama safety Bray Hubbard, TCU safety Jamel Johnson, Mississippi State cornerback Kelly Jones, Ohio State safety Earl Little, Texas safety Jelani McDonald, Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore, Syracuse cornerback Chris Peal, Oregon safety Koi Perich, Texas Tech cornerback Brice Pollock, Georgia cornerback Ellis Robinson IV and BYU safety Faletau Satuala.
He’s not short on preseason recognition, either. Fitzgerald was named to the ACC Preseason All-ACC team at safety and also appeared on the Bronko Nagurski Preseason Watch List and the Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List.
In Other News...
Carson Becks NFL Momentum Just Hit An Early Speed Bump
Carson Becks early NFL track has already taken a small detour, as the rookie will not be available for the Cardinals preseason matchup with the Raiders. Beck picked up a rib injury in the Hall of Fame Game, and Arizona is choosing to give him extra time rather than push him back onto the field before he is fully ready.
The Cardinals are treating the situation cautiously, which is why the quarterback reps in Las Vegas will go to others in the room, including Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew. For Beck, it is a reminder that even the early stages of a transition from college to the pro game can come with a little added wear and tear, and Arizona now gets a closer look at its depth while he works toward a return. [Read more 🡒]
One Quiet Miami Staff Change Could Give The Canes An Edge
Miamis preseason has carried a different feel on the practice field, and a lot of that starts with the work being done behind the scenes. The Hurricanes have been healthier and better conditioned under the direction of the revamped performance staff, a shift that has shown up in the way the team has handled summer work and overall preparation. Mario Cristobal and others around the program have noticed the difference, with the emphasis on physical readiness already becoming part of the backdrop as the season approaches.
Ervin Young has been central to that change, giving Miami a steadier foundation at a time when durability matters as much as depth. The staffs approach has helped the Canes practice with more consistency and less disruption from injuries, which is exactly the kind of quiet edge that can matter in the buildup to a season opener against Stanford. It is still early, but for a team looking to start fast, the improvement in how Miami is holding up could be one of the more important developments of camp. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Fans Still Haven't Forgotten These Recruiting Misses
For Miami fans, recruiting regrets have a long memory, and the list tends to come back to the names that got away. Dalvin Cook, Teddy Bridgewater and Jeremiah Smith each became the kind of player the Hurricanes hoped to build around, only to land elsewhere and turn into reference points for what might have been. Their college runs and the moments that defined them have only sharpened the sense that a few different choices along the way could have altered Miamis trajectory in a big way.
The frustration is not just about star power, but about timing and fit, with each of those pursuits carrying its own what-if attached to a particular recruiting stretch and on-field breakthrough. Miami has had no shortage of talent over the years, but misses like these still resonate because they were the sort of marquee swings that can change a programs ceiling. Even now, they linger as reminders of how thin the line can be between a strong class and a defining one. [Read more 🡒]