In the midst of spring practice in Coral Gables, the Miami Hurricanes and head coach Mark Richt are looking for a quarterback to lead the team in 2017. Who leads the competition? Reports mention that no quarterback has achieved separation in the spring battle.
Who will take the reigns under center?
In a recent interview on 560 WQAM, the official home of the University of Miami radio broadcast, Richt mentioned the QB competition would go into fall camp.
On the QB competition, “It’s going good. If everyone was stinking up the yard and if you were trying to choose, it wouldn’t be good, but we have a lot of good play. We probably won’t name a starter until deep into camp later this year”
It’s quite obvious that Miami’s head coach is waiting for the top-ranked Quarterback in Miami’s class of 2017, N’Kosi Perry to step on campus. Not being on campus yet puts Perry behind the eight ball.
Reports indicate that Malik Rosier has been taking first-team snaps in spring practice. Currently, the redshirt junior is battling Jack Allison (redshirt freshman), Evan Sheriffs (sophomore), Vincent Testaverde, and newcomer Cade Weldon.
It appears that Rosier has slightly taken the lead thus far in spring practice. Rosier’s path to the starting job will consist of two things, accuracy and taking care of the football. Rosier brings athleticism to the table and will be able to run Run Pass Options better than his predecessor Brad Kaaya.
Can he limit turnovers and take care of the ball? Whoever can do that in the quarterback competition will win the job. Miami returns a talented defense and likely the best running back in the ACC, Mark Walton, to the table in 2017. In reality, Miami just needs a game manager at the QB position.
Dark Horse candidate? Prediction
With N’Kosi Perry the fan favorite, many predict that he will win the job this summer. Yet, most quarterbacks in the ACC such as Florida State starter Deondre Francois had to sit out a season before their time came to shine.
The transition from high school to college is a big leap. From reading defenses to developing proper mechanics, only special talents can accomplish the feat and have success. That is why N’Kosi Perry will not start game one versus Bethune-Cookman.
Sophomore Evan Shirreffs remains the dark horse candidate in the QB race. He’s currently #2 in the QB race. Shirreffs’ 216-pound, 6-foot-5 frame reminds people of Brad Kaaya’s stature as an immobile quarterback. Sherrifs has great athletic ability. Could he lead the Miami Hurricanes in 2017?
As Miami opens week three of spring practice, your QB order during media viewing remains Rosier, Shirreffs, Allison, and Testaverde.
— Christy Chirinos (@ChristyChirinos) April 4, 2017
It will be interesting to see who emerges at this point. It seems like Rosier will be the favorite heading into camp. Interesting Chirinos doesn’t mention Weldon.
Next: Miami Hurricanes Spring Practice: Day Six Review
The QB race will come down to three things: ball security, playbook knowledge, and successfully running Mark Richt’s RPO scheme. Ultimately, it will be Malik Rosier or Evan Shirreffs to take the starting job going into game one. Yet, could Perry see playing time? Definitely.