The Miami Hurricanes battle to be the starting quarterback is getting national attention from multiple sources. Semi-incumbent N’Kosi Perry, transfer Tate Martell and Jarren Williams have been written up extensively by the major sports media outlets.
The battle to be the starting quarterback for the Miami Hurricanes and the play at that position was a primary focus from the moment Manny Diaz was hired as head coach on December 30. The QB who will be under center is a battle that will endure into August.
CBS Sports, ESPN, Sports Illustrated and others have all included the battle to be the Miami Hurricanes signal caller on their lists of best QB battles in college football heading into spring practice and into the summer.
Miami hasn’t entered a season with a QB battle since at least all-time leading passer Brad Kaaya’s freshman year in 2014 and maybe beyond that. Last year became a QB battle when Malik Rosier dealt with inconsistencies. Rosier and N’ Kosi Perry went back and forth throughout the season with erratic play.
Miami’s passing game suffered. The Hurricanes were among the worst passing offenses in the country by nearly every measure. Getting that fixed will be a primary focus this spring and into summer training camp by The New Miami offensive coordinator and QB coach Dan Enos.
Enos did an exceptional job tutoring Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts in his one season as Alabama’s QB coach in 2018. Tagavailoa and Alabama set individual and team FBS records for passer ratings in a season. Hiring Enos was a coup for Manny Diaz. He was sought after by Alabama and other SEC teams to be their offensive coordinator.
CBS Sports- Ranks the Miami QB battle third behind Auburn and Tate Martell’s former school Ohio State which was a strange choice. The presumptive starter in Columbus should be former Georgia QB Justin Fields. That’s why Martell transferred.
"3. Miami HurricanesQBs in the hunt: Tate Martell, N’Kosi Perry, Jarren Williams“Like Fields, Tate Martell transferred and received a waiver for immediate eligibility after he left Columbus for Coral Gables. The redshirt sophomore threw for 269 yards and a touchdown while adding128 yards and two scores on the ground for the Buckeyes behind Dwayne Haskins.He joins former part-time starter N’Kosi Perry as a co-favorite to win the job. Perry threw 13 touchdowns and six interceptions last year for former coach Mark Richt, and the presence of new coach Manny Diaz should give Perry new life on and off the field.Redshirt freshman dual-threat signal-caller Jarren Williams — a four-star prospect and the No. 77 overall player in the class of 2018 — saw limited action in Week 2 against Savannah State before taking a redshirt. He’s likely fighting an uphill battle, but don’t discount his ability to climb up that hill.”"
Martell didn’t leave Ohio State where he likely would have been the backup to the five-star Fields to come to Miami sit behind Williams and Perry. Reading between the lines between what Diaz has said since Martell announced his transfer to Miami it has been implied that it’s Martell’s job to lose.
If Williams or Perry is going to be under center when the Hurricanes open August 24 in Orlando against Florida they are going to have to be nearly flawless this spring and into training camp. Williams nearly has been this spring. Perry and Martell have struggled with accuracy.
"247SportsMIAMI HURRICANESParticipants: Tate Martell (Redshirt Soph.), Jarren Williams (Redshirt Fr.), N’Kosi Perry (Redshirt Soph.)The popular thought with Miami is Martell has this job locked up now that he’s eligible. While I’d still bet on Martell emerging as the starter, early indications out of Coral Gables is that Williams and Perry are impressing first-year coordinator Dan Enos.Perry is the only player with starting experience. Not that it always went well last year. Perry completed just 50.8 percent of his passes as a redshirt freshman and he looked a bit lost at times (Pittsburgh, Duke). There were flashes, though. Perry will benefit greatly from a perspective switch with Enos.Williams nearly transferred this offseason, but the nation’s No. 77 overall player in the 2018 class remains an intriguing talent combining mobility with impressive arm talent.An Ohio State transfer, Martell is a plus athlete with great mechanics and a winning history at Bishop Gorman and Ohio State. Head coach Manny Diaz told 247Sports earlier this offseason that his QB room needed to be “reset” this offseason. Enos has a history of finding capable QBs. It just remains to be seen who earns the job.”"
Martell is the focus of the Miami Hurricanes QB battle from the national perspective. He was a highly touted QB coming out of high school. He was an undefeated starter at Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas where Miami tight end Brevin Jordan and safety Bubba Bolden were his teammates. Jordan helped recruit Martell to Miami.
"ESPNMiamiAll eyes are on Ohio State transfer Tate Martell to see if he gets his waiver and is eligible to play right away (Martell did received the waiver). If he does, he’s the odds-on favorite to be the Hurricanes’ starting quarterback in 2019. He’s already on campus and will make things interesting this spring either way.With or without Martell, it certainly sounds like redshirt freshman Jarren Williams is ready for all comers. Soon after Martell announced that he was transferring to Miami, Williams tweeted, “Nothing excites me more than competition.” Williams is extremely athletic, but also has a strong arm.Redshirt sophomore N’Kosi Perry split time with departed senior Malik Rosier a year ago, but it was a struggle for the entire Miami offense most of the season. First-year coach Manny Diaz knows how important getting it right at quarterback will be.The Hurricanes have struggled to develop players at that position for the past decade or more. New offensive coordinator Dan Enos will earn his money.”"
Williams has lived up to all his billing this spring as an accurate passer. While Martell is still the odds on favorite to be the starter, Williams will push him this spring and throughout the fall. There were reports that Williams sulked when he didn’t earn the starting job last summer and didn’t learn the playbook enough.
Williams has put last season behind him and emerged more mature this spring while continuing to be the most accurate passer on the roster.
"“Sports IllustratedMIAMI: TATE MARTELL, N’KOSI PERRY, JARREN WILLIAMSMartell, who left Ohio State when Georgia’s Justin Fields elected to transfer to Columbus, received an NCAA waiver granting him immediate eligibility on March 19, making him the favorite for the Miami job.A season ago, the Hurricanes struggled on offense with Perry and Malik Rosier splitting time under center.Competing with him are Perry, whose inconsistency last year as the backup and off-field stumbles have left him an uphill road back to the field, and Williams, a strong passer who redshirted a year ago and may surprise some people this spring.”"
Who will emerge as the starting QB for the Miami Hurricanes when they play Florida at Camping World Stadium in Orlando on August 24? The bet here is Martell with Williams pushing him. Any stumbles by the former Ohio State QB and Williams is likely to be given a chance.
Where will that leave Perry? Baring a return trip to the Camping World Bowl in December, the game against the Gators will be the closest Miami plays a game to Perry’s home in Ocala. If he plummets to third string will he be accepting and stay in Miami or seek opportunities elsewhere?