Can Miami's QB Room Live Up To The Hype? Early Takeaways From Hurricanes Spring Football
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The Miami Hurricanes appear to have their deepest quarterback room in many years.
With one week of spring football in the rearview mirror, here are my top five takeaways.
1. It's not just Cam Ward. Miami has a very deep quarterback room right now. Is there another team in America with four quarterbacks on the roster who have started games at the college level? The Hurricanes have that with Ward, Reese Poffenbarger, Jacurri Brown and Emory Williams. Ward has looked as good as advertised so far. He's definitely the best of the group but there's not quite as much separation as you might have thought.
Brown, Williams and Poffenbarger have all practiced well. Between the three, it's too early to determine who stands out as the second stringer. Early enrollee freshman Judd Anderson also looks very good and it's gonna be fun watching him develop.
The challenge will be keeping all five on the roster. As colleague Brian Smith noted to me on my Locked On Canes podcast, someone is gonna be the fourth stringer when the dust settles. Will that person hit the transfer portal?
2. Receivers keep making eye-popping plays. This group has been a joy to watch in these early practices. Xavier Restrepo made one of the nicest catches I've ever seen last Wednesday. Early enrollee Joshisa Trader has looked almost impossible to cover. Signs of early chemistry between Cam Ward and his pass-catchers are evident.
3. I expect the tight ends to be much more involved in the offense. Junior Elijah Arroyo looks healthy and resurgent. He missed most of last season. Sophomore Riley Williams is up to 260 lbs and has made some impressive catches in practice, including a nifty one-handed grab last Monday. Early enrollee freshman Elija Lofton looks solid so far and appears physically ready to get into games. Last season was forgettable, with the tight end position only being targeted 30 times and producing just 1 touchdown.
4. Linebackers are intriguing. I like what I'm seeing so far from junior Wesley Bissainthe taking on more leadership. His experience is especially needed right now, with senior standout Kiko Mauigoa set to miss the full spring period with injury. Raul "Popo" Aguirre is the young linebacker I am most bullish on right now. He's practicing well. In the coming weeks I will keep a close eye on Bobby Washington, Marcellius Pulliam and Malik Bryant. Freshmen Bobby Pruitt and Adarius Hayes have earned good reviews so far. Hayes passes the eye test at 6-3. I noticed him a lot last week.
This is an important season for Miami's young linebackers because this room last a ton of experience with KJ Cloyd graduating and Corey Flagg transferring to Missouri.
5. Defensive back is a work in progress. I thought they did a nice job bouncing back on Friday after giving up some notable catches in one on one's on Wednesday. That's a good sign. However, the cornerback room is thin at this point in spring. Once Damari Brown and Robert Stafford start practicing, we'll have a better idea on the depth. Daryl Porter Jr and Ja'Dais Richard appear to be the top dogs in practice so far. At safety, transfers Meesh Powell and Savion Riley are setting the tone for the room. Still, I have to wonder if Miami will explore adding cornerbacks and safeties in the transfer portal next month.
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