Being a leader at quarterback is expected on any football team. In multiple media appearances, last week from the ACC Kickoff in Charlotte Miami head coach Manny Diaz stated the level of leadership he expects from the Hurricanes QBs.
N’Kosi Perry is the most experienced Miami quarterback on the Hurricanes roster. Perry started five games and appeared in 11 in 2018. His missteps off the field, inconsistent play on the field and lack of complete knowledge of the offense hindered him in 2018. Head Coach Manny Diaz expects more from his QBs.
During meetings with the media and specifically on the Joe Rose Show last week from the ACC Kickoff from Charlotte, Miami head coach Manny Diaz was clearly disappointed in N’Kosi Perry’s 2018 season.
Manny Diaz spoke to Manny Navarro of The Athletic and the Joe Rose Show on WQAM about Perry’s on and off the field exploits in 2018. Perry finished 99th out of 113 QBs that qualified in FBS in passing efficiency. The same kind of performance in 2019 will get Perry benched.
Perry likely would not receive another chance to become the Hurricanes starting QB, A pair of off the field incidents last year involving social media led many to question Perry’s maturity. The combination of his on-field play and off-field missteps hurt Perry’s growth in 2018.
Now, having said that, one of the few QBs who was worse than Franks vs. pressure was… N’Kosi Perry. He was 8-of-27 with 0 TD & 1 INT and 2.3 QBR when pressured vs. P5.
— 💫🅰️♈️🆔 (@ADavidHaleJoint) July 19, 2019
He has learned, moved on and grown from a tough redshirt freshman season. Perry’s mission in training camp is to prove he is a leader on and off the field. He also has to prove he can handle the task of being the Miami starting QB.
Diaz spoke to Navarro and Rose about what it takes to be the starting QB at Miami and what his expectations are from Perry or whoever is under center for the Hurricanes.
"“I think he’s improving. I do. But I think he’s still learning. Quarterbacks don’t end up on lists (of players who get in trouble), and that’s just the way it should be.Quarterbacks should not be high-maintenance guys off the field. If anything, they should be the opposite. They should be the most low-maintenance part of your football team.Growing into what it means to be the quarterback at the University of Miami is what they’re all really learning to be, to be perfectly honest with you. I would say N’Kosi, like all of them, is better. But I would not say that he’s figured it all out and is straight A’s across the board.”"
It’s tough to get a gauge on where Perry stands with Diaz. Diaz clearly is not happy with Perry’s off the field problems last season. Quarterbacks are under more pressure than ever before. When Miami was dubbed QB U in the 1980s and early 1990s they had two to three years to come in and sit before playing.
Even Bernie Kosar who led Miami to a national championship as a redshirt freshman spent one season on the sideline before playing. Perry had that in 2017 when he took his redshirt season. Some players take longer than others to mature. This is going to be a critical year for either Perry, Tate Martell or Jarren Williams.
One of them will start and the other two are likely to unhappy as the backup even if they are not vocal about it. Quarterback is the toughest position because only one can play at a time. The other positions can rotate in and out more frequently. That is never advised and rarely works at QB. How will Perry react if he is not a starter?
The reality for the Miami football team that one of the three main QBs is likely to transfer at the very least after the 2019 football reason. Diaz also addressed the possibility of losing one of his QBs.
"I’m more concerned about finding the guy and (making sure) the right guy steps up…This goes with any position, any player. If you don’t want to be for the University of Miami, go somewhere else…This is Miami. We don’t have to beg anyone to be a Miami Hurricane. That’s in recruiting. That’s in anything else."
Perry is the slight favorite over Martell to be the starter against Florida on August 24. There is a lot of speculation what Williams will do if he is relegated to third string. He was close to transferring last December on the eve of the Pinstripe Bowl loss to Wisconsin. Whatever happens, Miami has enough depth to absorb a transfer at QB.