The Miami Hurricanes Land a Pair of Defensive Backs on the Freshman All American Team
On Tuesday, the Miami Hurricanes returning cornerback O.J. Frederique and new Jacksonville State safety transfer Zechariah Poyser were named to the Football Writers Association of America Freshman All-America Team.
Frederique had 30 tackles, 1.0 tackles for loss, 7.0 pass breakups, one interception, and 8.0 passes defended in 2024. Pro Football Focus gave Frederique a 72.8 defensive grade and a 71.8 coverage grade in 2024. Frederique was named honorable mention All-ACC.
Poyser finished the season with 75 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions, 11 passes defended, and two fumble recoveries for Jacksonville State as a redshirt freshman in 2024. Poyser was among the most sought-after transfers, ranked the No. 2 safety in the portal, and the No. 83 player overall.
Frederique was one of eight ACC players named to the FWAA Freshman All-America Team while Poyser was one of seven Freshman All-Americans named from a Group of Five program and the only one from Conference USA.
Frederique is the 12th Miami player to be named to the FWAA Freshman All-America team since its inception. Defensive lineman Rueben Bain and right tackle Francis Mauigoa were the most recent in 2023. Poyser is the first player from Jacksonville State to earn FWAA Freshman All-America honors after it joined the FBS in 2023.
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