Speaking with reporters on Saturday, Miami Hurricanes Head Coach Mark Richt said: “Malik (Rosier) is our starting quarterback”. There is a lot of speculation if he can hold on to the starting job.
Rosier spoke about Rosier’s advantage in the competition, what he needs to work on and the likelihood of continuing to be the Miami Hurricanes starting quarterback. Rosier did everything he needed to to be Miami starting quarterback in the first ten games of the season last year.
His struggles down the stretch hurt Miami. Rosier wasn’t the only reason the Hurricanes dropped their final three games of the 2017 season.
The Miami Hurricanes running game also struggled in a late-season loss to Pittsburgh and Clemson the ACC Championship game. It did recover to run the ball well against Wisconsin in the Orange Bowl.
The criticisms of Rosier were his accuracy and interceptions late in the season. In an article discussing Miami’s preseason ranking of fifth by Athlon Sports Canes Warning examined Rosier’s late-season struggles.
"“Many of Rosier’s interceptions came late in the season. He threw five of his 14 on the season in the last two games. Rosier also struggled with accuracy late in the season. He completed just 44.9 percent of his passes in the final three games. That compared to 54 percent for the entire season.”"
The Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson quoted Richt discussing the quarterback situation at the All Pro Dads event at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday.
"“Backing up on this QB thing, it’s not like ground zero competition…Malik is our starting quarterback but we are going to let everybody compete and see who’s improved and see who might be able to overtake anybody at any position."
"“I’m not saying Malik is not the starting quarterback going into this thing. If he does what he’s supposed to do, he’ll probably continue to be.”"
Rosier should see competition to be the starting signal caller in 2018 from Redshirt Freshman N’Kosi Perry and True Freshman Jarren Williams in the spring and training camp. Redshirt Freshman Cade Weldon is a long shot.
Rosier was one of the most clutch and productive quarterbacks in the country last season. Rosier tied for the 21st in the nation with 26 touchdown passes. He finished 98th in the country in completion percentage at just 54 percent.
Richt also discussed what needs to be done to improve the play at quarterback.
"“We’ve been watching the cut ups of the whole season. If you take just the highlights of Malik Rosier, there are some unbelievably great highlights, some great moments. And then there are some inconsistent moments. When Malik becomes more consistent in his accuracy – probably more than anything else – he can lead us as far as we need to go.” So can accuracy improve? “It can. Accuracy improves when routes get run better, when protection gets better, when footwork by the quarterback gets better, when maybe we call a certain play at the right time. Most plays have a chance of success no matter what. Sometimes you just happen to call the right one at the right moment and then the fundamantals of throwing the ball. From spring ball to fall is when you try to tweak anything in somebody’s throwing motion. Right before spring practice is not the time to do it.”"
Perry and Weldon had the chance to sit and observe Rosier this past season. Richt was asked how that might help Perry heading into the 2018 season.
"“N’Kosi has been in the system long enough where knowledge of the system won’t be something that will hold him back. It will be competing and can he win the job? We’ve got Cade Weldon who knows the system too and has got a lot of ability. “We’ve got Jarren Williams coming in who’s going to try to get up to speed. It will be tough for him to truly compete in the spring but by the time the fall rolls around, if that thing hasn’t been decided by then, he’ll get a chance to throw his hat in there too.”"
The final questions that Richt was asked involved the disappointment the fans might have if Perry isn’t the starter and the perception that he has a higher ceiling than Rosier.
"“They probably thought that a year ago and we won 10 in a row so I don’t think they felt bad about Malik being the quarterback at that time. Whoever is in there has got to do his job and play well.”"
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With Perry and Weldon coming off redshirt seasons and Williams on campus Miami is in far better shape at quarterback than they were last season. If Rosier struggles this season, Richt might be quicker to insert a backup.