Miami football won’t make starting QB decision until August

The Miami football program will not make a decision this spring on who the starting quarterback will be for the 2019 season according to offensive coordinator Dan Enos.

Rising redshirt freshman Jarren Williams and rising redshirt sophomore N’Kosi Perry have clearly outplayed Ohio State transfer, Tate Martell, at quarterback during spring practice for the Miami football team. Martell discouraged proclamations that he is the savior for the Miami football team at QB. He is from far that this spring.

Head coach Manny Diaz and offensive coordinator Dan Enos spoke about the progress that the three signal callers have had for the Miami football team this spring. Enos stated that all three have improved during the month of spring practice. As expected they have all had good and bad days during the spring.

None of the three have stated a strong claim to be the starter. The competition will remain open through training camp up until a few weeks before the Miami football team begins its season against Florida in Orlando on August 24. Martell, Perry and Williams have all taken turns with the first-team offense this spring.

If a decision would be made now Martell would likely not be the starter. Martell’s is not a good pocket passer. At 5’11 with great athletic ability, he is better getting outside the pocket and making plays with his feet and arm. Williams is the most accurate and more of a pro-style passer. Perry has the biggest arm.

Enos is pleased with the progress all three QBs have made this spring. He made it a point after practice on Tuesday to recognize Williams’ growth.

"“These three guys continue to improve. … All of them have good days, then one will be ahead and another one bumps ahead. It’s too close to tell right now.But I will say this: They’re all getting better. It’s been really encouraging to watch their pocket demeanor, their fundamentals, their eyes, their feet, coming off their reads.Jarren, for example, Saturday did something in the scrimmage that’s a very small thing, but it’s something I’ve showed those guys on tape for about a week and a half and it translated.He did it. You know what I mean?I was like, ‘Oh my goodness gracious.’ They all had moments like that, which are good things. All these three guys are, in my opinion, very, very young. They’re learning every day there’s something new to learn. But, you’ve got to know not only how to handle adversity, but how to handle success, too.I’ve had two or three good plays, and then I make a huge mistake because maybe I did relax, maybe I did get complacent for a play. They have to learn how to clear the mechanism, if you will, every play and play the next play. Learn from the past play, good or bad, and then move on to the next play.That’s an attribute we’re working with these guys on on a daily basis. But, that one’s reared its ugly head here in the last couple practices.”"

Diaz echoed Enos’s statements about the improvement he has seen throughout the spring. At his introductory press conference in January, Diaz made it a point that upgrading the play at QB on the Miami football team is essential. If the Hurricanes are going to get back to where they were in 2017 they need better play at QB.

"“What’s become obvious is they’re all improving, but there’s no way they just have enough at-bats where somebody can, you know, jump out in front of the pack. And part of that is because they’re all competing and I think their level of play is improving.So, what we think will be the key is [being in] this building when no one’s watching in June, July. And when they bring the team in here without coaches and just the repetition, repetition, repetition of going through these pass concepts and running these plays.When we get to the last week of July, when we report for training camp, it’ll probably be a week, two weeks [before] we’ll have to pick a football team and move on.”"

It’s clear that Diaz wants to spend time during training camp this summer getting ready for Florida and not embroiled in a battle the starting QB. Diaz also wants to see who will put in the work on their own and not just when the coaches are looking. Having a strong work ethic under Diaz is going to be critical.

Putting in the work is also essential to Enos and taps into his midwest roots. Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts showed tremendous improvement in Enos’ one season as the QB coach at Alabama in 2018. Miami should win the ACC Coastal if they have as much improvement at QB as Tagovailoa showed for Alabama in 2018.