SOTU Award: Worst Unit and Miami Hurricanes 2024 Position Review: Defensive Back

An ignominious distinction for the unit that cost Miami a chance at championships.

Heading into the 2024 season, the position with the most questions was undoubtedly defensive back. With multiple starters from 2023 moving on to the NFL, there were questions about the players brought in through recruiting and the transfer portal to replace the outgoing talent.

After a solid, but not perfect, start to the year, the secondary became who many thought they’d be: a thorn in Miami’s side that would cost the Canes games. Injuries played a part as well, but the poor performance of the players, and the ineffectual scheme of the coordinator, doomed Miami to yet another year without even playing for the ACC Championship. When you also consider the fact that Miami had the best season from a QB in program history, and was firmly the #1 ranked offense from the first snap of the season to the last, the failings of the defensive back group were catastrophic. I know y’all think I’m prone to hyperbole, but the magnitude of the failure of this unit cannot be overstated.

Want to know why Miami fired their defensive coordinator? Look no further than this unit.

Numbers

Miami’s passing defense was a problem for the Canes, and a welcomed sight for their opponents. Big plays were given up often, and miscommunications were par for the course.

Miami ended 2025 57th in passing defense, allowing 214.4 yards per game, 2,787 yards total on 57.7% completions, 22 TDs and 14 INTs. No, the passing stats aren’t entirely on the secondary, but coverage is their primary responsibility.

Miami allowed 106 passes of 10+ yards, 43 passes of 20+ yards, 13 passes of 30+, 8 passes of 40+ yards, 6 passes of 50+ yards, and 2 passes of 60+ yards. Infamously, multiple teams had their longest pass play of the season (to that point) against Miami. Cal, for example, had their FIVE longest passing plays of the year to that point in the game against Miami. Syracuse threw for a million yards on Miami in the regular season finale, and they had a 65 yard touchdown called back for a formation penalty.

There were plenty of breakdowns in run support and tackling in the secondary as well. Bad angles (my GOD, Jaden Harris), and whiffs that allowed teams to run freely for long gains. Florida hit us for a 71 yard TD run. VT did similar. Cal walked up and down the field with ease. I know we all saw it, but yeah, the secondary was quite poor this season for the Canes.

Starters

CB Romanas “O.J.” Frederique — 13 games, 8 starts, 30 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 interception, 7 PBU, Freshman All-American, runner-up for ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year, Honorable mention All-ACC

CB Daryl Porter Jr. — 13 games, 13 starts, 28 tackles, 7 PBU, 2 QB hurries,

CB D’yoni Hill — 11 games, 5 starts, 33 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PBU,

CB Jadais Richard — 9 games, 6 starts, 27 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, 1 interception, 3 PBU, 2 QB Hurries, 1 forced fumble

S Mishael Powell — 13 games, 13 starts, 38 tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 sack, 5 interceptions, 1 INT-TD, 6 PBU, 1 QB hurry, 2nd Team All-ACC

S Jaden Harris — 13 games, 13 starts, 40 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, 1.5 sacks, 2 PBU, 1 interception

There were 2 players that stood out above the rest in the secondary this season: Washington transfer S Mishael Powell and true freshman CB O.J. Frederique. They were the bright spots of the secondary, to be sure. If positive things were happening in the secondary, it was because of Powell, Frederique, or both. Neither was perfect, because no player is, but both were the best that Miami had to offer.

And, with the fact that Frederique was a true freshman this year, the sky is the limit for him at Miami.

Porter Jr. moved between slot and outside corner throughout the year. He had moments, but the lack of a firm position was a hindrance, not a sign of his versatility. Powell also took turns at slot corner as Miami searched for answers in this group throughout the year.

Hill transferred in from Marshall to play for Guidry and CB coach Chevis Jackson, both of whom coached him at Marshall previously. He was a body, but didn’t have the athleticism or skill to be a value add in the secondary at this level. But, with the lack of depth and talent in the secondary, Hill played a lot of snaps. Which, I mean, was a thing that happened.

Richard is a big corner who has developed well in his time at Miami. He was a big contributor, and added a 6’2” player to combat the bigger receivers most teams try to have in their rotations now. However, he sustained a nasty knee injury in the Duke game which ended his season.

Harris is an athletic player in the secondary, but his lack of skill was apparent. He struggled with taking proper angles, tackling opposing players, and was far too often the reason things went wrong. I was among Harris’s biggest fans as a recruit, but the starting Safety role to replace Kam Kinchens was much too big an ask for Harris.

Grades:
Frederique: A-
Powell: B
Richard: C+
Porter Jr: C
Hill: D
Harris: F

Contributors

CB Damari Brown — 2 games, 1 start, 2 tackles

CB Robert Stafford — 13 games, 7 tackles, 1 PBU

S Markeith Williams — 12 games, 1 start, 13 tackles, 1 PBU

S Zaquan Patterson — 12 games, 2 starts, 19 tackles, 3 PBU

S Dylan Day — 12 games, 7 tackles

Brown was supposed to be a foundational player for this secondary. But, he got injured early in the opener at Florida (the game he started), and missed the rest of the season, save the Syracuse game. Brown has the size and skill this unit needed, and his absence was definitely felt.

Williams and Patterson both rotated in at Safety. With the atrocious performance of Harris, I would have loved to see either or both get even more snaps than they did. Both Williams and Patterson showed flashes of the blue chip talent they were recruited to bring to the Canes’ roster, but also both had moments that showed they weren’t fully ready for primetime this past season.

Stafford was a depth piece who rotated in at corner from time to time. He was more frequently seen with Williams and Patterson on special teams, but had his struggles there. He was famously run past by Wake Forest and Louisville on long kickoff return touchdowns, which is problematic as Stafford’s best (only?) skill is his straight line speed.

Day, a recruiting gem from Louisiana found by former DC Lance Guidry, was a special teams monster. He showed plenty of speed, power, and instincts to think he could further develop into a solid Safety down the line. The potential is there, and hopefully the new staff and unlock it further.

Grades:
Brown: incomplete (injury)
Stafford: D
Williams: C+
Patterson: C+
Day: A (but in a limited role)

Rest of the Room

S Ryan Mack — 1 game

CB Myles Mooyoung — 3 games, 2 tackles, 1 interception

CB/WR Robby Washington — 8 games, 7 tackles,

S Isaiah Taylor — 5 games, 2 tackles

Mack is a true freshman with potential. Taylor is a depth piece at best. Mooyoung is a former walk-on with limited athleticism. He’s transferred in search of the playing time he would never get here at Miami. And Washington is a blazing WR who fell out of favor there, transitioned to CB, and ended up transferring so he could play on offense. None really played in base defense in games that mattered, but they did play some, so I wanted to be sure I mentioned them as well.

When you look at the individual grades, it really fell on a few players who struggled for Miami’s secondary this year. The additional thing worth noting here: the scheme those players were playing was routinely eviscerated by opposing offensive playcallers. Week after week, we heard “oh man, they showed something we haven’t seen before” and the answers for the questions presented by opposing offenses were few and far between.

When you combine the struggles of the secondary with the issues of the another position I reviewed, linebacker, it’s clear that the defense for Miami left MUCH to be desired. And, in the end, cost Miami the chance to compete for championships, which is such a shame since this year’s offense was literally the best we’ve ever seen.

The incredible individual performance of Frederique was balanced out by the fact that teams focused on targeting other less talented and worse performing players in coverage. And, even he struggled in the debacle at Syracuse, when the Orange decided not to avoid the freshman All-American, but instead challenge him to perform play after play.

Overall, was the unit of concern heading into the year, and between performance struggles and injuries removing several of the top players from the field, this unit hit all the worst case scenarios for performance. There were wide open receivers, missed tackles, horrible penalties, boatloads of mistakes, and, in the end, this unit was singularly responsible for Miami missing out on the ACC Championship Game and College Football Playoffs.

I hate to put so much blame on them, but facts are facts. With precious few exceptions, the coaching and performance of the secondary was deplorable. I hate it, but that’s the honest truth. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

Go Canes