No. 7 Miami opened its 2026 season with a dominant 45-6 victory over Stanford on Friday, but the Hurricanes lost one of their starting defensive backs almost immediately.
Miami coach Mario Cristobal revealed Monday that cornerback OJ Frederique suffered a significant injury during the opening drive of the Week 1 matchup and now faces an extended absence.
“OJ suffered a pretty significant injury so he will be down for quite a while,” Cristobal said.
Frederique started opposite Xavier Lucas but appeared in only two plays before leaving with a left shoulder injury. He exited after making an open-field tackle on Stanford’s Benji Blackburn and did not return.
Cristobal did not provide an exact timetable, leaving Miami without a clear date for Frederique’s return.
The junior has been a significant contributor throughout his Hurricanes career. Frederique appeared in all 13 games and started seven as a freshman in 2024 before making nine starts across 11 appearances last season. According to PFF, he took 368 defensive snaps, earning a 65.4 grade and completing 23 tackles while missing just one.
In Week 1, Miami turned primarily to Damari Brown after Frederique exited the game against Stanford.
“Damari looked good,” Cristobal said. “Damari did a lot of good stuff. He’s very physical. We put those guys on an island sometimes and that’s tough duty and for the most part did a really good job.”
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Ethan O’Connor is next in line to have an increased role alongside Lucas during Frederique’s absence, while freshman Kellen Wiley sits deeper in the depth chart.
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Frederique’s extended absence also adds to a Hurricanes defense already missing fellow cornerback Ja’Boree Antoine, who Cristobal said “is going to be out a little bit.”
Miami hosts Florida A&M on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on ACC Network.
