Hurricanes cornerback OJ Frederique Jr. out with ‘significant' injury

CORAL GABLES — The Hurricanes may be without starting cornerback OJ Frederique Jr. for the near future. Miami coach Mario Cristobal said Monday that Frederique suffered a "pretty significant" injury. "He'll be down for quite a while," Cristobal said. The cornerback suffered an apparent shoulder injury on the first drive of UM's win over Stanford on Friday and did not return to the game. Frederique was one of the Hurricanes' most dependable defenders last year. He had 19 tackles and seven pass deflections last year, earning a 62.1 defensive grade and a 63 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus. But Frederique has dealt with injuries in the past. He missed five games last season. In Frederique's absence, the Hurricanes turned to Damari Brown, Xavier Lucas and Ethan O'Connor to take the reins at outside cornerback. Lucas had two tackles and two pass breakups (68.1 coverage grade); O'Connor had no official stats and a 71 coverage grade; and Brown had no official stats with a 45.7 coverage grade. Miami's cornerback depth will be tested in the early part of the season. Sophomore cornerback Ja'Boree Antoine also suffered a significant injury before the season, and Cristobal said he would not return until the latter part of the season.