Bryce Fitzgerald was an elite ballhawk as a freshman. In part-time action, he had six interceptions, tied for the lead in the ACC. Who will ever forget his second at Texas A&M in the College Football Playoffs which sealed the game and allowed Miami to advance?

Now Fitzgerald is growing up fast. He’s a second-year sophomore as the Miami Hurricanes prepare to go to Stanford for their season opener. He’s also transforming himself from that playmaking newcomer into a complete, physical and vocal leader of the Miami Hurricanes secondary that has been the talk of fall practice.

Fitzgerald has proven he can find the football. Now he is determined to prove he can do just about everything else. He isn’t interested in spending his second season trying to recreate his first.

“Last year was last year,” Fitzgerald says. “This is a brand-new year.”

And this version of Fitzgerald looks considerably different.

After moving between safety and nickel previously, Fitzgerald is transitioning into a full-time safety role for the Hurricanes. That has required more than simply learning the position. Miami wants Fitzgerald to become a more complete defender — bigger, stronger, more physical against the run and more capable of handling everything that comes with playing in the middle of the Hurricanes defense.

So Fitzgerald went to work.

“Just been in that weight room, film room, just getting bigger, faster, extra film,” Fitzgerald said. “Just staying in with the coaches, watching film with the receivers, just getting better at everything I can do.”

You will notice the change immediately. Fitzgerald has added 17 pounds of force to his body. You hear it in such simple things as tackling drills at practice when the target is a simple dummy. Fitzgerald packs some punch. And he says he has added the weight without sacrificing the speed that gives him range.

Dec 20, 2025; College Station, TX, USA; Miami Hurricanes defensive back Bryce Fitzgerald (13) intercepts a pass intended for Texas A&M Aggies tight end Theo Melin Ohrstrom (17) during the game between the Aggies and the Hurricanes at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

“Yeah, I ran 22 miles per hour the other day,” Fitzgerald said. “So just still keeping that speed, and I got a different size. It’s going to be a different thing in my game.”

The difference has become especially noticeable now that Miami put the pads on this week. It becomes obvious pretty quickly that Fitzgerald’s 2026 contribution is not just going to be limited to tracking balls in the air.

“Just being around the ball more,” Fitzgerald said of the biggest difference in his game. “Not only ball-hawking, just tackling, being physical around blocks, everything.

“Just me being bigger and faster. I can get off blocks now. I can tackle. Just being more violent. That’s really what the coaches were looking for in me, and I’m doing it.”

The physical development could determine how good Fitzgerald ultimately becomes. This is recruiting at face value. Coaches must project what high school football ballers will look like a couple years down the road. Miami’s staff clearly has hit on Fitzgerald.

At safety this season, Fitzgerald will need to be able to deal with more traffic, diagnose plays from depth, tackle in space and occasionally come downhill into situations where receivers, tight ends and offensive linemen are trying to prevent him from reaching the ball carrier.

The added weight gives him another tool. So does his experience.

Fitzgerald was used at both safety and nickel during the spring, and that versatility remains part of his value to Miami.

“In the spring, I played both,” Fitzgerald said. “So just knowing that the coaches know that I’m versatile and they trust me and Omar (Thornton), it’s just whatever the coaches need us to play, really, just to win. I’m willing to do whatever is behind Coach Hetherman, so I’m going to do it.”

The Miami defense has been looking for leaders and Fitzgerald has been stepping up alongside guys like Ahmad Moten and Mo Toure.

“Coach Hetherman has just been telling me I need to be vocal, communicating with the guys,” Fitzgerald said. “If you’re out there with freshmen, just communicating and letting everybody know, just do the one-on-one and we’re going to be all right.”

Fitzgerald points to Keionte Scott and Jakobe Thomas as players whose approach last season guided him and helped show him what leadership inside a secondary is supposed to look like.

“Really, Keionte Scott, definitely Jakobe, just all of them,” Fitzgerald said. “When Keionte went down, people get down on themselves, but he just came in firm with me like he was still playing. So just taking on that leadership from him and stepping up into that role is just great.”

Freshman JJ Dunnigan has been a special target of his leadership in camp. Miami players watch Dunningan out there on the practice field screaming with potential. He is so smooth. He runs like a deer. He has veteran instincts. He can be the Fitzgerald of 2026, the freshman who comes off the bench and makes a major contribution.

“I taught him a few things, but he came in and he was ready to go,” Fitzgerald said. “I didn’t really have to tell him much. He learned his way. He had his struggles, but now JJ, he’s on a whole other level.”

The Miami advantage for all of the defensive backs is practicing against a deep, impressive Miami receiver room. Fitzgerald, for example, benefits from daily battles with Malachi Toney which are one of the awes of training camp.

“It’s great,” Fitzgerald said. “Every one-on-one rep, we go first. So it’s the battle, best of the best. It’s iron sharpens iron. He gets me, I get him. It’s great going against Mali.

“I feel like he’s the greatest receiver in the country. So going against him in practice every day, it’s going to make it easy for me in the game.”

Then there is quarterback Darian Mensah.

Fitzgerald says Miami’s defense tries to disguise its intentions against Mensah, only to watch the quarterback diagnose them anyway.

“He’s very calm in the pocket,” Fitzgerald said. “Like, he’s not fazed. He can run, he can throw, he can throw on the run. He can read any defense. Like, we try to disguise everything; he still can read it. So just having a quarterback that good is definitely preparing us for the season.”

So Fitzgerald is bigger, stronger, more physical and more vocal. And if he has his way, he will be every bit as dangerous when the ball is in the air.

“It’s a blessing,” Fitzgerald said. “Right now, I’ve just got to focus on the team. Yeah, that’s one of my goals, but I’m a team-first player. So whatever we’ve got to do to win, the goals come at the end.”