“Next Man Up?”

September 8, 2026 -

Greentree, we have a problem! Going into week two, Miami is down two cornerbacks due to injuries.

OJ Frederique and Ja’Boree Antoine appear to be out. The latest bad news came on Monday when head coach Mario Cristobal announced Frederique had injured his shoulder in the Stanford game and will be out “for some time.” Antoine was previously announced out before the Stanford game.

Miami’s staff has worked hard to build a roster with good to great depth. Here’s where that depth needs to step forward.

So, who the our “Next Man UP?”

The top two candidates are Damari Brown and Ethan O’Connor. Both have significant snaps last season as backups. Brown was the go-to-guy at Stanford, playing 55 defensive snaps after Frederique was injured. In 2025, Brown played 385 snaps before he got injured, starting five games. O’Connor played 26 snaps at Stanford. In 2025, he played 633 defensive snaps, starting seven games. The game talent and experience is there.

But who then steps up as the reserves?

Expected to step up into greater roles are Chris Ewald and Ryan Mack. Finally, there is a group of very talented but untested freshmen, including safeties JJ Dunnigan and Camdin Portis, along with cornerbacks Jaelen Waters and Brody Jennings.

BOTTOM LINE:

Miami has built a talented and deep roster just for this situation. It’s time to display that great depth.

GO CANES!