Miami and Mario Cristobal could be playing a dangerous transfer portal game with QBs

Miami is going to be in the transfer market for a quarterback again. That's not a surprise to anyone. The Hurricanes also have a young quarterback on the roster, Emory Williams, who was recruited in the 2023 class and is heading into his redshirt junior year. He has mostly played late in games over the past two seasons, but started a few games as a freshman before suffering a major arm injury against Florida State.

This will be the third year that Miami presumably goes into the portal for a top-end starter and the Hurricanes have been linked to every big-name in the portal, including former Florida Gator quarterback DJ Lagway.

"We're hearing Baylor is an option. He's been in communication with Louisville. LSU and Miami are going to be two of the biggest quarterback players in this market and, obviously, Lagway could make sense there," Pete Nakos from On3/Rivals said.

Cristobal wants to put the best roster on the field

Miami is in a favorable window right now. The Hurricanes are recruiting at a top-10 rate and the kids that are coming through the program, especially on the offensive and defensive line, are having great success. Cristobal has played a lot of his young players during the season and made it a point to get them crucial snaps during games. He's talked about how this plays positively in recruiting as well. 

Quarterback is a different spot though. It's the most important position on the field and the right player can be the difference between making the playoffs or finishing 7-5. Giving the recruiting that the Hurricanes staff has done at every other position, finding a quarterback that gives them the best chance to win makes sense. 

Finding the right HS quarterback

Right now, what Cristobal is doing works and, truthfully, as long as the Hurricanes continue to recruit well at the other positions, there's no reason to change. But what could force a change is if Miami lands a top quarterback out of the high school ranks. We're talking a five-star prospect with first-round NFL upside. 

And when that happens, Cristobal will pivot. But until then, why change what seems to be working?