Miami Hurricanes add JUCO CB Demetrius Freeney, who will report next week: I can be a big piece to what Mario Cristobal is building
The competition to start at cornerback for Miami this season just added another twist. The Miami Hurricanes already have almost a handful of cornerback transfers on the roster, with Daryl Porter, Jr. coming in last year and Jaden Davis, Davonte Brown and Jadais Richard joining the team for this season.
Now add another to the mix.
San Leandro (Cali.) College of San Mateo cornerback Demetrius Freeney visited Miami June 2 and has now decided he will be a Hurricane. He has immediate eligibility with four years to play three of eligibility.
It was the visit that made all the difference.
“My Miami visit was great, a great experience,” Freeney said. “The best part was just interaction with the coaches, it was great to be able to see the family culture at that building, the generosity of the whole staff.”
Freeney first landed an offer from Jahmile Addae in late May, and he enjoyed a strong freshman season in which he had two interceptions and six pass breakups in seven games.
“He (Addae) showed me why I can start right away just by my knowledge of the game and my skillset,” Freeney said. “He said he can develop me into a great player.”
Freeney also was considering Colorado, Oklahoma, Houston and Indiana, where he’d taken prior visits.
As for his background?
Freeney had offers from Air Force and Idaho as a quarterback out of high school but opted to change positions to land more offers.
“I bet on myself, went to JUCO and switched positions,” he said.
That’s paid off, and now the 6-1, 185-pounder hopes to make a quick impact at Miami.
“(Coach Mario Cristobal said) I can be a big piece to what he’s building,” Freeney said. “He said my character and my play style will fit well.”
Also of note: Freeney is good friends and teammates with DB Sione Laulea (a January enrollee), who is visiting Miami officially this weekend. So this news can also certainly help there.
CaneSport’s take
It’s going to be a really interesting fall of competition at the cornerback position. Along with the aforementioned transfers (note that the main first-team boundary corners in the spring were Davonte Brown and Daryl Porter, Jr.), the team also has a returner in Malik Curtis (Te’Cory Couch is expected to start at nickel) and second-year players Chris Graves and Jaden Harris. Plus true freshmen arrivals Damari Brown and Robert Stafford hope to have a say in things. Miami coaches seem to really want to amp up the competition in this room after the loss of Tyrique Stevenson and DJ Ivey, last year’s starters. It appears coaches have done just that.
