Miami Hurricanes QB Jarren Williams indirectly challenges Tate Martell

Tate Martell’s transfer from Ohio State to join the Miami football program is not deterring Rising redshirt Freshman Jarren Williams who Tweeted “Nothing excites me more than competition!”

Neither Tate Martell or Jarren Williams have a lot of experience playing college football. N’Kosi Perry who started six games for the Miami Hurricanes in 2018 has received the most reps at quarterback for anyone on the Miami roster.

Perry played 11 of Miami’s 13 games last season, Williams one. Martell played in six Ohio State games in 2018. Williams was expected by many to challenge to become the Miami Hurricanes starting quarterback in 2018. He essentially wound up becoming the fourth-string quarterback.

Williams’ only playing time last season came in the 77-0 annihilation of FCS Savannah State. He completed one of three passes for 17 yards. Williams also ran twice for two yards and a touchdown.

Williams is not the dynamic runner that Perry or Martell is. Perry had 169 yards on 61 carries and a touchdown. Martell ran 22 times for 128 yards and two touchdowns.

Williams was projected as the fifth best pro-style quarterback coming out of high school. The thought was that he perfectly fit former Miami Head Coach Mark Richt’s Pro Style Offense.

Martell and Perry were projected as dual-threat quarterbacks coming out of high school. Perry and Martell were both in the Class of 2017 and Redshirted as True Freshman. Martell was the second-ranked dual-threat quarterback in the Class of 2017 and Perry seventh.

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Perry split time with the graduated Malik Rosier in 2018 as a Redshirt Freshman. Martell was ahead of quarterbacks like Texas’ Sam Ehrlinger and Texas A&M’s Kellen Mond among dual-threat quarterbacks in the Class of 2018. He was stuck behind Heisman Trophy finalist Dwayne Haskins in 2018.

Williams was considered the most accurate QB on the Miami roster before Martell transferred. Perry, like Rosier, struggled with accuracy in 2018. Perry completed 50.8 percent of his attempts 1,091 yards, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions.

Lack of accuracy from the Miami Hurricanes quarterbacks was one of their biggest issues in 2018. Miami finished in a three-way tie with Diaz’s former employer Mississippi State and UNLV for 118th nationally by completing 51.1 percent of their passes.

The Hurricanes were slightly better in quarterback rating finishing 115th in FBS with a QB rating of 112.18. Perry’s quarterback rating was 114.9

Martell had greater numbers than Perry in considerably less playing time. The former Buckeye completed 23 passes in 28 attempts for 82.1 percent for 269 yards and a touchdown. Martell’s QB rating of 174.6 exceeded Haskins of 174.1. Williams had a QB rating of 80.9 on three attempts.

Martell’s playing status for 2019 is still in doubt. He has the option of potentially graduating before next fall or petitioning the NCAA for a waiver to play in 2019. Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports wrote that Martell is going to use Ohio State’s coaching change as the reason he transferred. It seems like a longshot.

The Columbus Dispatch Reported last week after Martell entered his name into the NCAA Transfer Portal that he was on pace to graduate in May. If Martell does not graduate then he would have to petition the NCAA for the waiver to avoid having to sit out next season.