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What is Brad Kaaya’s Legacy as a Miami Hurricane?

By Alan Rubenstein

Dec 28, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes quarterback Brad Kaaya (15) celebrates defeating the West Virginia Mountaineers 31-14 and being names MVP pf the game at Camping World Stadium. The Miami Hurricanes defeat the West Virginia Mountaineers 31-14. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 28, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes quarterback Brad Kaaya (15) celebrates defeating the West Virginia Mountaineers 31-14 and being names MVP pf the game at Camping World Stadium. The Miami Hurricanes defeat the West Virginia Mountaineers 31-14. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /
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Brad Kaaya leaves the Miami Hurricanes as the program leader in yards, he is third all-time in touchdown passes and in the top five in most of the significant categories. Aside from the statistics what kind of legacy does he leave behind?

The Hurricanes did not have as much talent in Al Golden’s final years and Mark Richt’s first season that they had during most of the Quarterbacks in school history that Kaaya will be compared to. In three seasons as a starter, the Hurricanes were 22-16 under Kaaya including 1-2 in Bowl games.

The Hurricanes improved by one game over the 2015 season and a game a half with Kaaya at the helm. He unquestionably had his best season in 2016.

The entire off-season the discussion about Kaaya will be would he have made another significant jump in 2017 and how good could the Hurricanes had been if he came back. The questions will not begin to be answered for the next eight months.

Kaaya finished 2016 with 3,532 yards, 27 touchdowns, seven interceptions and a 150.3 Quarterback rating, all career highs. In the Russell Athletic Bowl win against West Virginia, Kaaya had one of the best games of his career and his best bowl performance. Kaaya lit up the Mountaineers for 282 yards and four touchdowns.

Miami Quarterbacks are often judged by how they play in the big games. How they did in bowl games, how they played in National Championship games, how they played against ranked teams and how did they play against Florida State?

Related Story: Brad Kaaya Announces He Will Enter NFL Draft

Athletes that play high-profile positions also often get judged by how they play in the postseason. In the three bowl games he played in, Kaaya completed 61.2 percent of his passes for 737 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions.

One of his biggest legacies will be that the Hurricanes never won a Coastal Division title, much less an ACC Championship. They were never in a position to contend for a playoff spot either. The Hurricanes were never ranked in Kaaya’s first two seasons and their high-ranking of ten this season lasted one week before losing to Florida State.

Depending on the final poll, he might leave Miami without the Hurricanes ever being ranked at the end of the season. In games against ranked teams Kaaya had 2,217 yards passing, 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions. The Hurricanes were 1-7 in those games.

It’s not equitable to compare Kaaya’s career to Bernie Kosar, Vinny Testaverde, Steve Walsh, Craig Erickson, Gino Toretta and Ken Dorsey. All but Testaverde won National Championships. Testaverde won a Heisman Trophy and had the Hurricanes in position to win National Championships had their won their bowl games in either of his seasons as a starter.

Jim Kelly was Miami’s Quarterback in an arguably similar era. Kelly shared Quarterback with Mike Rodrigue as a Freshman in 1979 in Howard Schnellenberger’s first season. He finished 48-104 for 721 yards with five touchdowns and six interceptions. The Hurricanes finished 5-6.

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Rodrigue played part time in 1978. He shared the position with Kenny McMillan and current Miami Head Coach Mark Richt in Lou Saban’s last season. Rodrigue finished 1979 with an unfathomable two touchdown passes and 16 interceptions.

The Hurricanes had a huge jump in 1980 when they finished 9-3 and defeated Virginia Tech in the Peach Bowl. It was Miami’s first bowl win since 1966. They would win nine games again in 1981, but as the result of probation did not play in a Bowl game. Kelly missed a large part of his Senior season with a shoulder injury. Richt played the most snaps at QB that season.

Kelly finished his Miami Career completing 62.8 percent of his passes for 5,233 yards and 32 touchdowns. The Hurricanes finished 30-15 in his four seasons, all under Schnellenberger. Kelly helped paved the way for a National Championship the season after he left.

Kaaya might have been able to do the same had he stayed. It’s a question that will be debated at least until August into September and maybe beyond depending on how the 2017 season progresses. No matter what happens Kaaya is one of the Hurricanes best ever.

Next: Mark Richt Discusses 2016 Season and What’s Ahead W/Beat Writers

Walsh, Torretta and Tesataverde were the only All-Americans. The debate about where he fits within the Miami’s best ever is a tough one. Without a National Championship and/or a Heisman Trophy does he rank ahead of any Miami’s previous great players at Quarterback?

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