{"id":221651,"date":"2026-04-07T07:10:33","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T07:10:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/221651\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T07:10:33","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T07:10:33","slug":"what-hurricanes-bryce-fitzgerald-learned-from-freshman-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/221651\/","title":{"rendered":"What Hurricanes\u2019 Bryce Fitzgerald learned from freshman year"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bryce Fitzgerald has some extra responsibilities with the Miami Hurricanes this year, and it\u2019s a role he\u2019s embracing.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust trying to push my younger guys,\u201d Fitzgerald said Saturday.<\/p>\n

OK, even saying that made Fitzgerald pause for minute as he processed what that meant.<\/p>\n

Fitzgerald, a sophomore, is emerging as a veteran presence among Miami\u2019s defensive backs heading into the 2026 season.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a role that has been earned. Fitzgerald carved out a role during his freshman season that expanded as the year went on and ended with him hauling in six interceptions \u2014 the most among all freshmen last season, tied for second nationally in the country and the most by a Hurricanes player since Kamren Kinchens in 2022.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also a role that\u2019s needed. Miami has to replace its two most experienced players from its defensive backs room in Keionte Scott and Jakobe Thomas. They need players willing to prove they can elevate their game to the next level and do what\u2019s needed to elevate the game of those around them.<\/p>\n

Fitzgerald is showing he can do just that.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really just pushing each other and just holding each other accountable,\u201d Fitzgerald said. \u201cIt\u2019s great having each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Miami Miami Hurricanes defensive back Bryce Fitzgerald (3) catches a pass during drills at the Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility on the University of Miami campus in Coral Gables, Florida, on Thursday, March 26, 2026. PHOTO BY AL DIAZ adiaz@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

Fitzgerald, a former preps standout at Miami\u2019s Christopher Columbus High, proved his worth from the jump as a freshman for the Hurricanes. He began in a rotational role, getting snaps on obvious passing downs. Defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman was putting him in a role where he could best succeed early, giving him reps that would boost his confidence as he started his college career.<\/p>\n

It worked.<\/p>\n

Fitzgerald recorded interceptions in three of his first five games \u2014 against Bethune-Cookman, South Florida and Florida State. He found himself playing a starter role down the stretch of the regular season when Scott was sidelined by a foot injury. His play didn\u2019t drop off with the extra responsibility.<\/p>\n

In fact, his best game came at the start of the Hurricanes\u2019 College Football Playoff run, with Fitzgerald logging two interceptions in that game \u2014 including one on the goal line with 27 seconds left to seal No. 7 Miami\u2019s 10-3 win at No. 10 Texas A&M.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was just not being selfish and becoming a team player,\u201d Fitzgerald said. \u201cI knew I had a role, and I just stayed with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Miami Miami Hurricanes defensive back Bryce Fitzgerald (13) celebrates after intercepting a pass in the first half of the NCAA game against the Florida State Seminoles at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida, on Saturday, October 4, 2025. PHOTO BY AL DIAZ adiaz@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

That role is now set to expand in Year 2. With Scott and Thomas off to the NFL Draft, Fitzgerald is expected to slide in and be a starter in one of those two roles. Most likely, he will be at safety with redshirt junior Zechariah Poyser. Omar Thornton, a Boston College transfer, would likely be Miami\u2019s nickel cornerback in that case. Dylan Day, Conrad Hussey and freshman JJ Dunnigan figure to get rotational playing time as well.<\/p>\n

As for which position Fitzgerald would prefer to play?<\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever the coaches need me to do,\u201d Fitzgerald said. \u201cCoach Hetherman told me playing a lot of different positions helps you get on the field and helps you in the long run. I\u2019m living it up.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019s also making sure his teammates know what they need to do. He enters camp with the mentality that \u201cnobody can beat you.\u201d It\u2019s a message that\u2019s carrying over from Thomas and Scott and one he is working to relay to the newest crop of Hurricanes.<\/p>\n

Fitzgerald knows he\u2019s young, but he also knows he\u2019s in a position to make a difference for the Hurricanes. He\u2019s not taking that for granted.<\/p>\n

\u201cReally, it\u2019s just I\u2019ve got to stop being a kid,\u201d Fitzgerald said. \u201cI\u2019ve gotta change the mind-set. You\u2019re a grown man now. So it\u2019s really I\u2019ve just gotta do real man things on and off the field \u2014 leading by example, talking to them, not letting them do the wrong thing. Got to do the little thing so they key into it.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Jordan McPherson<\/a><\/p>\n

Miami Herald<\/p>\n

Jordan McPherson covers the Miami Hurricanes and Florida Panthers for the Miami Herald. He attended the University of Florida and covered the Gators athletic program for five years before joining the Herald staff in December 2017.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Bryce Fitzgerald has some extra responsibilities with the Miami Hurricanes this year, and it\u2019s a role he\u2019s embracing.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":221652,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[123,125,124],"class_list":["post-221651","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-miami","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221651","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=221651"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221651\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/221652"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=221651"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=221651"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=221651"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}