The finality of the 2023 class and the reconstruction of the defensive back room is here for Miami.
Top JUCO cornerback Demetrius Freeney announced he would be committing and enrolling at Miami on Thursday, filling the spot left by former Iowa transfer Terry Roberts who left the program last week.
Miami has now added seven total defensive backs to the 2023 roster, including four from junior college or the Transfer Portal.
Freeney is a 6'1" 190-pound outside corner, played one season at College of San Mateo and had two interceptions and six pass break ups in seven games played last year. He also added a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
His performance in the tough California junior college ranks proved he could be an immediate impact player in the Power Five ranks. "The coaches talked about early playing time and that was a major factor for my decision to go to Miami," said Freeney to CanesCounty ahead of his commitment. "I want to come in and be able to make an early impact. I know I can go to Miami, make a difference and seeing the two starters get drafted, I know I'll be developed, too."
Coming out of high school, Freeney was a two-way player at San Leandro High in California. He played both quarterback and defensive back but was underrecruited, earning offers from likes of Air Force and Idaho State. He ultimately was left with no options after staff changes at both schools, forcing his hand to prove himself at a JUCO.
Freeney did just that in the past year, earning interest after a total position change to Miami, Oklahoma, Indiana, Houston, Louisville, Colorado, Wisconsin and more. On top of his productive freshman campaign, he has proven athletic traits that not many of the Miami defensive backs have, running 10.9 100-meter and 21.9 200-meter times to go with his length.
Still just 18 years old, Freeney has three years of eligibility remaining. That youth and multi-year impact eases the loss of former blue-chip commits Cormani McClain and Antione Jackson in the 2023 class.
Things moved rather quickly for Freeney, as he picked up his first Power Five offer at the end of April. He made visits to multiple schools and finished things of recently with Indiana. Miami offered just three weeks ago before grabbing a commitment and his recent official visit played a huge part in that.
"I was just comfortable at Miami. They have a great staff who made it feel like home while I was over there. Coach Addae was a huge part of why I chose Miami. I got a chance to build a bond with him, even before Miami offered and even more so on the visit. Him and my dad connecting was big, too and made that decision easy. I see the program is on the rise and I'm just ready to be part of that."
Miami is now in a good spot in the defensive backfield and the replacement plan for NFL draftees Tyrique Stevenson and DJ Ivey is now fully in place with four-plus players competing for the outside corner spots in UCF transfer Davonte Brown, Daryl Porter Jr., Vanderbilt transfer Jadais Richard and now Freeney.
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