Miami’s secondary is getting stretched early, and the latest hit is Xavier Lucas.
Lucas, who started in Week 1 against Stanford, did not dress for the home opener against Florida A&M. No injury has been disclosed, so the Hurricanes will have to wait for Mario Cristobal to offer more detail on what happened.
The timing makes the situation even trickier. With OJ Frederique expected to miss an extended period of time, Miami is leaning on a group of younger defensive backs behind Ethan O'Connor and Damari Brown. Against FAMU, that meant the staff had to dig deeper into the rotation than usual.
Bryce Fitzgerald and Brown got the starts at cornerback, while O'Connor was expected to see plenty of action after logging 46 snaps against Stanford. Freshman JJ Dunnigan also made his first career start at safety.
Bryce Fitzgerald starts at outside corner with Xavier Lucas apparently out.
Freshman JJ Dunnigan also got the start, as did LB Kamal Bonner.
- Adam Lichtenstein (@ABLichtenstein) September 11, 2026
That shuffle fits with how Cristobal and Corey Hetherman have described the group all along. Fitzgerald, a Freshman All-American at safety in 2025 and one of the top players at the position entering this season, has repeatedly been mentioned as someone who can move around. The coaches have stressed that several defensive backs can handle multiple spots, including boundary work.
"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’s rise is another reason Miami feels equipped to absorb some of the damage. The freshman drew plenty of attention in the spring, carried that momentum into fall camp and then into the opener.
He played 33 snaps against Stanford, the second most of any true freshman on the roster. If he proves ready to hold down a full-time role at safety, that would give Miami more freedom to keep its most experienced defenders where they are needed most at corner.
The bigger picture is simple: injuries are part of football, and Miami has been hit early at the same position. Cristobal’s emphasis on recruiting and retention is supposed to prevent exactly this kind of depth crisis, and at least so far, that approach is showing up. The hope now is that Lucas’ issue is not serious and that Frederique can make it back before the season is over.
In Other News...
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Before Florida A&M and Miami met again in the late 2000s, the series had already built up a long memory for Hurricanes fans, and most of it was not especially kind to the underdog. The two programs first tangled in 1979 and then again over the years in matchups that usually followed the same familiar script: Miami controlling the game, leaning on its talent and depth, and coming away with another win. By the time the teams played through the 2009 meeting, the Hurricanes had turned the series into one of those old nonconference histories that can be retold almost by habit.
Still, the reason this one lingers is that not every chapter fit the pattern, and Miami followers have never entirely let go of the one result that broke through the routine. Even with the Hurricanes holding the clear edge across the series, the trip through those games from 1979 to 2009 shows why certain opponents stick in the memory longer than the record alone would suggest. For Miami, the larger story is dominance, but for fans, it is the shock that kept one Florida A&M afternoon from blending into the rest. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Secondary Injuries Just Forced A Defensive Shuffle Fans Need To Watch
Miami was forced to improvise in the secondary against Florida A&M, and the adjustment offered a clear look at how thin the Hurricanes have become at cornerback. Bryce Fitzgerald slid over from safety to cornerback, while true freshman JJ Dunnigan was pressed into a starting role at safety, a reminder that this defense is already having to lean on flexibility early in the season.
The injury list at cornerback is what created the shuffle in the first place, with OJ Frederique, Xavier Lucas and Ja'Boree Antoine all sidelined. Some of those players are expected back later in the season, but for now Miami has to keep finding workable combinations on the back end, and the way it handles that stretch will be worth monitoring once the schedule gets heavier. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Freshmen Have A Real Chance To Change The Conversation
Saturdays opener against FAMU at Hard Rock Stadium gives Miami a chance to do more than just get the season started cleanly. It also offers a first real look at a freshman class that could help shape how this team is discussed early on, with defensive backs J.J. Dunnigan and Camdin Portis, quarterback Dereon Coleman and wide receiver Somourian Wingo among the newcomers worth keeping an eye on.
The backdrop matters because freshmen rarely arrive with the spotlight fully on them, yet Miami has several young players positioned to make an immediate impression. Their backgrounds and earlier performances have built enough curiosity to make this matchup more than a routine nonconference game, especially if one or more of them starts changing the depth chart conversation right away. [Read more 🡒]