Could Miami Hurricanes backup QB be clarified by Williams injury?

Miami Hurricanes Head Coach Mark Richt named Malik Rosier the starting quarterback for the season opener next month against LSU at the ACC Kickoff Days in July. The biggest question in the quarterback room is who is going to be Rosier’s primary backup.

The answer to who the main backup will be the for the Miami Hurricanes might have been clarified on Tuesday. Star Freshman quarterback Jarren Williams left practice with an undisclosed injury. There have been no reports on what the injury is, the severity or how much if any time Williams could miss.

Williams was already behind Redshirt Freshmen N’Kosi Perry and Cade Weldon on the depth chart. Talent wise it was hard to imagine Weldon being ahead of Williams for long. The competition to be Rosier’s prime backup is expected to come down to Perry and Williams.

During the Spring, Williams was praised by Richt for being the most accurate passer on the Miami Hurricanes roster. Williams seemed to be struggling grasping the playbook this fall. Miami Quarterbacks Coach Jon Richt spoke to Anthony Chiang of the Palm Beach Post about how the quarterbacks are coming along.

Richt commented extensively on all four quarterbacks. He began the discussion on Miami Hurricanes media day by praising Weldon, Perry and Rosier.

"“All three of those guys have had a great camp…Malik has done a great job, N’Kosi has done a great job, Cade has done a great job, which makes my job easier because at the end of the day I know I have three great quarterbacks.“ And really Jarren has done a great job, too. I shouldn’t say that he hasn’t because he has. He’s done a lot, a lot of great things. So really, I have four guys. Every guy that I’ve repped can play and we would be happy with his play. It’s not like we’re scared if any one of those guys are in the game.”"

Richt continued the conversation. He said that Rosier is “playing with a whole new confidence.” as he enters his second season as a starter. Rosier has to be happy to be getting Ahmmon Richards back healthy and welcoming the stable of Freshmen wide receivers and tight ends that Miami signed in the 2018 recruiting class.

The biggest question on the minds of anyone that follows the Miami Hurricanes football team is how and what is Rosier doing to improve his accuracy.

"“So far, he’s done a really nice job…Last year if you look at it, he was very, very good at driving the ball to people in between the numbers, in between the hashes.He wasn’t so good when he had to put touch on the ball or if he had to throw it over a linebacker or a deep ball or whatever it was, that’s what he struggled with, and that’s what he worked on all summer. He’s done a nice job so far.”"

Perry came signed with the Miami Hurricanes amid high expectations. Many expected him to earn the starting quarterback job as a True Freshman in 2017 over Rosier. Richt was asked if Perry is frustrated with not being the starter at this point of his career.

"“No. I’m very impressed with N’Kosi…He’s done a great job…during the summer I think he got a little tired at some point. Because like I said, it’s a long summer. It’s a grind non-stop for these guys.But then in the past two months, the dude has really turned it on and has done a great job focusing and is coming with a whole new attitude. He’s doing an awesome job for us right now.”"

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Weldon is best known for being the son of Casey Weldon who finished second in the 1991 Heisman Trophy voting. His father’s Quarterback Coach at Florida State was Mark Richt. In this case, it’s like father like son twice. Jon Richt spoke about the younger Weldon.

"“Confidence and knowing exactly what he’s doing and why he’s doing it…Also understanding what the defense is doing, so he can react faster. He’s really, really done a good job of buckling down and focusing and acting like he wants to be the guy.“Some of these freshmen come in and they know, ‘Alright, I know I’m not playing this year and I’m redshirting so I’m just going to chill back and have fun on (the) scout team.’ Now, he’s kind of figured out that part of life is over. Let’s get your mind right, let’s get ready to go to work. He’s done a great job of coming to work every day.”"

Before getting injured during Tuesday’s practice Williams had been having trouble grasping the playbook. Richt spoke about where Williams is in his learning process before the injury.

"“We’re starting to push him and starting to get him to learn more so if he does get a chance, he’s ready for the opportunity,…You can tell it’s kind of spinning a little bit, which is fine.He still steps into it and throws it prettier than a lot of dudes in the country. He’s really impressive throwing the football and once he figures it out and slows the game back down for himself as he sees everything and understands exactly what we’re asking from him, I think he’s going to be a very good football player.”"

The Miami’s Hurricanes top quarterback target Michael Johnson recently committed to Penn State. Jon Richt said that they are no longer pursuing a quarterback for 2019. The potential is there for the Hurricanes to recruit a Graduate Transfer. They are confident with Perry, Weldon and Williams for next season.

That should turn into a tough competition to become Rosier’s successor. The likelihood is that either of the four-star quarterbacks, Perry or Williams will win the job., What the Richts and Offensive Coordinator Thomas Brown are looking for out of their quarterback could determine who becomes the starter in 2019.