Mark Richt comments seem more genuine about Miami QB than OTs

During an appearance on the recently inaugurated Packer and Durham show on the ACC Network Mark Richt praised Miami Hurricanes quarterback Jarren Williams for the poise he showed during last Saturday’s loss to Florida.

Mark Richt recruited two of the three quarterbacks that were battling to star for the Miami Hurricanes. Richt signed Jarren Williams in 2018 and N’Kosi Perry in 2017. Perry started six times under Richt last season.

The struggles from Perry and Malik Rosier brought a lot of questions why Williams did not play more than nine snaps in one appearance in 2018. Williams could have played in four games last season and still maintained his redshirt.

Mark Richt liked the poise that Williams showed against Florida. Williams was under constant duress and sacked 10 times in the loss to the Gators last Saturday night in Orlando. Richt’s successor Manny Diaz has commented consistently on the growth Williams has had since the end of last season.

Williams received his chance when Diaz replaced Richt’s entire offensive coaching staff. New offensive coordinator and QB coach Dan Enos and Diaz set criteria of what they were looking for at QB. Accuracy, decision making and taking care of the ball were the most important factors for the winner of the QB competition.

Williams has proven to have the best of those abilities. Richt discussed with Packer and Durham Williams ability to deliver the football and his poise standing in the pocket. The former Miami Hurricanes head coach wants to see Williams be able to throw the ball away instead of taking so many sacks.

"“I thought he did a great job. For a guy that was sacked ten times and harassed a bunch more times, how many times did he stand in the pocket and deliver a great ball when he had the chance? It was just about every time. He didn’t lose his poise. I know one time he got hit when he was scrambling out of the pocket.He has to learn to sail the ball into the stands every now and then when he is running to keep from fumbling or losing yards. You can learn that after just one game, so I feel he did a really nice job.”"

Williams ability to maintain calm after repeatedly being hit throughout the loss to Florida was exceptional for any college QB particularly a redshirt freshman. Miami had the unusual if the not unprecedented combination of a redshirt freshman QB, two freshmen offensive tackles and a head coach in his first game.

Most programs with that combination against a top ten team would be blown out. Richt has hope for the future in redshirt freshman right tackle John Campbell and true freshman left tackle, Zion Nelson. Richt signed Campbell in the Miami recruiting class of 2018. The Hurricanes OLs struggled in Richt’s three seasons at Miami.

"I think throughout the season, those tackles are really going to grow and by mid-season to the end of the season, I think they are going to be good. There is nothing wrong with their skill set in my opinion. It is a matter of getting the reps and getting stronger over time—with Zion in particular.I have faith they are going to be really good some day. When you have freshmen playing at any position, they get better in a hurry. In other words, if you have a two year starter, from game one to game two, he is not going to get a whole lot better.If you have a freshman starter or a first time starter, from game one to game two, he has learned a lot from just that one game of experience.”"

Some of what Mark Richt is saying seems like hyperbole. He recruited the majority of the Miami  Hurricanes roster. That includes Williams and Campbell as well as bringing Diaz as defensive coordinator. Richt is in a very tough position commenting on the Miami football program.

If he complements the Hurricanes he will often come off as disingenuous as received criticism from other fanbases. If he criticizes Miami, the Hurricane fans will be upset. Richt’s initial comments about Nelson and Campbell seem the most accurate. Nelson has been praised often about his future.

Campbell has not gotten as high marks on the other side. Their passing blocking marks against Florida showed differently. Campbell earned a pass-blocking grade of 43.7. Nelson’s was a 1.7 (that’s out of 100). Nelson was much better blocking against the run earning a 55.8 from Pro Football Focus.