The Miami Hurricanes will come out of their bye week with two major defensive reinforcements for Saturday night’s rivalry game against Florida State.
South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Adam Lichtenstein reported Monday that defensive end Marquise Lightfoot and starting cornerback Xavier Lucas are “all the way back” after dealing with injuries earlier this season.
Head coach Mario Cristobal delivered the update during an appearance on WQAM’s “The Joe Rose Show,” adding linebacker Ezekiel Marcelin Jr. and cornerback Damari Brown are also healthy.
That gives No. 3 Miami a much healthier defense heading into one of the biggest games on its schedule.
Miami Gets Marquise Lightfoot, Xavier Lucas Back
The timing couldn’t be much better for the Hurricanes.
Lightfoot suffered an undisclosed injury during Miami’s 41-13 win over Clemson on Oct. 3 and did not finish the game. Lucas, meanwhile, has been sidelined since suffering an undisclosed injury in the season-opening 45-6 win at Stanford on Sept. 4.
Cristobal said Lightfoot and Lucas are both “all the way back” after the open week, with Marcelin and Brown also healthy.
Lightfoot’s return is especially important for a Miami front that has been one of the strengths of the team. He opened the season with a team-high nine tackles at Stanford and quickly became one of Miami’s most disruptive defenders.
The sophomore has 19 tackles and five sacks through five games, including a sack before leaving the Clemson win. Miami still finished that game with six sacks and nine tackles for loss while holding Clemson to 55 rushing yards.
Lucas gives the Hurricanes another starting-caliber corner after missing nearly the entire first half of the season. He started 13 games in 2025 and finished with 45 tackles, one interception, one sack, one forced fumble and a team-high eight pass breakups.
His return matters even more with starting cornerback OJ Frederique Jr. also sidelined since the Stanford opener. Miami has leaned on its depth in the secondary throughout the first five games, including younger players forced into larger roles.
Miami Defense Gets Healthier Before Florida State
The injury news wasn’t entirely positive.
Lichtenstein reported that starting right guard Max Buchanan remains out. Cristobal said he hopes the sophomore can return later this season.
“Hopefully, he’ll join us later in the year,” Cristobal said.
Buchanan started each of Miami’s first five games at right guard before suffering an undisclosed injury. His absence leaves the Hurricanes adjusting up front, but the defensive side of the roster is getting considerably healthier.
Miami entered the bye week 5-0 overall and 3-0 in ACC play after dismantling Clemson on the road. The Hurricanes moved to No. 3 in the latest AP Top 25 while idle.
Now comes Florida State.
The Seminoles gave Miami one of its closest games of the 2025 regular season, rallying from a 28-3 deficit before the Hurricanes held on for a 28-22 victory in Tallahassee.
This year’s meeting comes Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium with Miami trying to remain unbeaten and Florida State looking to derail its rival’s run.
The Hurricanes already had a defense capable of making life difficult on opponents. Getting Lightfoot and Lucas back for rivalry week only gives Cristobal more options.
After weeks of working around injuries, Miami finally appears to be getting some of its most important defensive pieces back at the right time.
Miami Hurricanes Get 2 Key Defenders Back Ahead of Florida State