South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
QB Garcia transferring to Missouri
Former Miami Hurricanes quarterback Jake Garcia found a new school quickly.
Two days after he entered the transfer portal, Garcia committed to Missouri, his father, Randy, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Garcia, who is the Hurricanes’ top-rated quarterback recruit since 2003, played in nine games during his two-year tenure at Miami. He got on the field against Central Connecticut State as a true freshman in 2021 but suffered a season-ending injury.
In 2022, Garcia subbed in for starter Tyler Van Dyke in the Hurricanes’ loss to Middle
Tennessee State and started at Virginia after Van Dyke suffered a shoulder injury that hampered him for the remainder of the season.
Garcia threw for 803 yards and five touchdowns with four interceptions last season.
Garcia’s departure leaves the Hurricanes with three scholarship quarterbacks: Van Dyke, rising sophomore Jacurri Brown and true freshman Emory Williams.
Starting center Jakai Clark enters portal:
Before the transfer window deadline closed, one last Hurricane submitted his name to the transfer portal. Starting center Jakai Clark announced Thursday he had entered the portal.
“I have officially entered my name into the transfer portal,” Clark wrote on his Twitter account. “Thank you to Miami for the many opportunities the have blessed me with, including getting my degree after this spring semester. I am now open to talking to other schools.”
Clark was a key mainstay on the Hurricanes’ offensive line for most of the 2022 season. He started 10 of Miami’s 12 games and played limited time in another, missing one game due to injury.
Clark earned a 57.6 offensive grade from Pro Football Focus along with a 57.9 pass-blocking grade and a 58.2 run-blocking grade.
The Hurricanes already have a potential replacement for Clark’s spot on the line. Former UCF center Matt Lee announced on Jan. 8 that he was transferring to Miami.
Lee earned the third-highest offensive grade (83.6) among centers from Pro Football Focus in 2022. He had an 80.6 run-blocking grade and a 90.3 pass-blocking grade in 1,059 snaps last year. Lee did not allow a sack and gave up just four quarterback hurries in 2022, according to Pro Football Focus.
Nineteen Miami players have announced their plans to transfer or have been reported to be leaving the team.