The focus for the Miami Hurricanes quarterbacks this spring will be getting better, not finding a starter.
Much of the offseason emphasis on the Miami Hurricanes quarterback room has been will Ohio State transfer Tate Martell receive a waiver to play in 2019.
During a conference call on Thursday new Miami Head Coach Manny Diaz said that the team is “really just concerned right now about getting each guy on our roster as good as they can be.”
Martell appears to be the favorite to be the starter if he is granted eligibility. It is more because of the intangibles he brings off the field than having exceptionally more talent on the field.
The Miami Hurricanes holdovers at QB, Rising Redshirt Sophomores N’Kosi Perry and Cade Weldon and rising Redshirt Freshman Jarren Williams all have a lot of growing up to do. All three were suspended for various lengths and at various times in 2018.
The big boss @Coach_MannyDiaz spoke at The Rat and talked about this coming season, his roots and a new turnover chain!!! 🐐⛓ #CanesCartel pic.twitter.com/LfMaKBcrq5
— Canes Cartel (@CanesCartel) March 8, 2019
Perry came to Miami with high expectations, especially from the fanbase who wanted Malik Rosier out. Perry’s numbers were not much better. He struggled with accuracy just like Rosier did during the 2017 and ’18 seasons.
Diaz spoke very highly of Martell. When discussing the attributes he brings to the The New Miami QB room, Diaz seemed to indirectly take a shot at Perry’s attitude and expectation of what it takes to be a leader.
"“The great thing with Tate is he’s just becoming a guy in our locker room…You learn it through your work ethic and toughness. Tate has shown off both of those things.He’s shown a lot of the competitiveness and some of the leadership qualities that we wanted to add to our quarterback room. To me he’s been great in terms of just being a guy and just taking step by step and not trying to do too much.”"
It seems pretty clear that Diaz was talking about Perry last season. He had far too many missteps in 2018 both on and off the field. Diaz seems to be tougher on his players that his predecessor Mark Richt was. He also has the advantage of having seen most of his team up close before.
Expect Diaz to demand more from his players than Richt did. If a player doesn’t perform, Diaz seems more likely to put in a new player than Richt did. We have already seen Diaz replace both players and staff in two-plus months as the head coach.
The spring will be utilized for the QBs to get better. Diaz is not looking for a starting QB five months before the Hurricanes take in the field in Orlando against Florida and Diaz’s former boss Dan Mullen. Diaz spoke about that and how Martell’s eligibility could affect the Hurricanes.
"“In terms of how that affects our planning, this is spring practice. Unless they move the Florida game to next week, we’re really just concerned right now about getting each guy on our roster as good as they can be…What they’re learning is that everything counts and every day counts and it’s not just every day when they’re in this building….Every day in terms of how they go to class, how they go to study hall, how they interact online, everything they do is evaluated if you want to be the starting quarterback at the University of Miami.We are under no pressure to have a two-deep ready in two weeks. Right now this is about just find guys, get them as good as they can be and then when you come out of spring, realistically with the new system in place, you’re just going to come out of spring with an idea of what our guys can do.Right now what we’re doing is we’re tearing the car apart, we’re polishing up every piece and we know that we don’t have to put the car back together again to get it running until August. So to me Tate is just one of the pieces in the bigger machine.”"
Diaz’s attitude is refreshing and the perfect counterbalance to what Richt’s laid back attitude was. This team needs someone that is going to hold them more accountable. Diaz’s points, particularly about how players interact online is another clear indirect shot at Perry’s actions in 2018.
The 2018 parttime starter had a pair of questionable decisions on social media last season. The first was a video of him riding in a car with cash on his lap. The second was a sexually explicit video posted to Perry’s Snapchat account that quickly was disseminated around campus.
Better decisions need to be made by Perry, Williams and Weldon both on and off the field. If not, some combination or all three might not be on the Miami Hurricanes roster beyond 2019.