‘Freak athlete’ freshman JJ Dunnigan turning heads in Hurricanes spring camp

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CORAL GABLES — The Hurricanes reached into Kansas to pull one of the Plains’ best athletes to South Florida.

JJ Dunnigan, who was rated the No. 2 player in his home state, was originally a Jayhawks commit. But he backed off his pledge in the fall and committed to Miami in November.

Four months later, the standout defensive back is garnering attention and praise in his first spring of college practices.

“JJ Dunnigan is a God-gifted, freak athlete,” Miami safety Zechariah Poyser said. “Big dude … probably the fastest on the team, if you ask me.”

As a senior in high school, Dunnigan, who was rated a four-star prospect and the No. 114 player in the 2026 class in 247Sports’ composite rankings, racked up 57 tackles with four tackles for loss and two pass deflections. He also played wide receiver in high school, notching 18 catches for 446 yards and nine scores. Dunnigan, an Under Armour All-American, was picked as the VYPE Kansas Football Player of the Year, and the Manhattan, Kansas, paper, The Mercury, also named him its player of the year.

“Explosive, big time tackler, great in the open field, great space player,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said during the Early Signing Period. “Does really well in the passing game, as well. Could run the alley and strike people, knock them back.”

UM defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman said when Miami was recruiting Dunnigan, the staff noted his intelligence and his love for football. That has translated to the start of Dunnigan’s college career.

“He’s in the building,” Hetherman said. “He’s constantly competing. He’s constantly getting better. … He’s a guy that’s always in the building, always asking questions, loves the game of football. And he’s going to make the team better.”

Despite the praise, Dunnigan, a 6-foot-3, 192-pound safety, is not a finished product yet. Hetherman noted that the freshman safety has given up explosive plays in his first two practices.

“He’s young,” Hetherman said. “He’ll make mistakes. Things are going to happen.”

But the freshman has shown off promising ability and attitude, Hetherman said. Miami has a talented group of safeties, with Poyser, a 2025 starter, returning and last year’s star freshman, Bryce Fitzgerald (an FWAA Freshman All-American who had a team-best six interceptions), back for his sophomore year.

Despite the crowded group, Hetherman said Dunnigan will have a chance to compete for playing time. The Hurricanes have not been shy about playing talented freshmen under Cristobal — Fitzgerald and star wide receiver Malachi Toney were crucial parts of UM’s title-game run — so Dunnigan could see the field quickly.

“He’s in a spot where he’s going to continue to battle, he’s going to continue to take advantage of his opportunities,” Hetherman said. “But so far he’s been really impressive with the way that he competes, the way he shows up in the building, the way that he’s got energy every single day and how smart he’s been as far as picking up the scheme and then how fast he’s played on the field.”

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