QB depth creates competition
Perry, Weldon, Williams will all push Rosier
CORAL GABLES When the Hurricanes went through camp last fall and had to settle on a starting quarterback, Malik Rosier — a redshirt junior at the time — had an edge.
He’d already started a college game. For two years, he’d served as a backup to Brad Kaaya, Miami’s all-time leading passer. And he was familiar with the Hurricanes offense and the players around him.
Now, as Miami works toward its first spring scrimmage, Rosier is facing a challenge from some of the Hurricanes’ young quarterbacks looking to unseat him as the starter.
Yes, Rosier — who led the Hurricanes to a 10-3 record last year and helped key late game-winning drives against Florida State and Georgia Tech — remains the most experienced quarterback on the roster. He’s currently the front-runner to land the starting job again and has been working consistently with the Hurricanes firstteam offense throughout the spring.
But these days, redshirt freshmen N’Kosi Perry and Cade Weldon have a stronger understanding of Miami’s offense. That knowledge has helped them push Rosier in a way he wasn’t necessarily pushed last fall.
Add into the mix, talented early enrollee Jarren Williams, who arrived in January, and the Hurricanes have what feels like significant newfound depth at a critical position.
“I think competition helps everybody, at any position. And I think we’re deep enough at the point right now where we have legitimate competition at every single spot,” offensive coordinator Thomas Brown said. “In the past, I think we’ve given the illusion of competition, but if you don’t have guys behind you that can push you or take your spot, it’s not really true competition. I think, right now, from a quarterback standpoint, tailback, up front, tight end and even receiver, there are guys that back up our starters who can push them every single day to either become better or beat them out and take their spots. I think it’s great for everybody.”
When coach Mark Richt was asked if he felt Rosier was being significantly pushed this spring, he said, “Yeah, I like what N’Kosi is doing. He made some really great plays [Tuesday]. Weldon is a little bit behind N’Kosi, in my opinion, but not by a lot. They’re both competing well. Malik knows he has to do it. He tends to do better when he knows somebody is right behind him. Those two guys aren’t redshirting this year. They could have gotten redshirted last year and they did. This year, there’s no redshirting. They’ll be there all year long, ready to go in case we need them. Or they may win it. We’ll see.”
For his part, Rosier — who threw for 3,120 yards, 26 touchdowns and 14 interceptions last year — has said multiple times that he welcomes the push from Perry, Weldon and Williams.
He reiterated that statement when spring drills began late last month, noting he had spent time at home in Alabama during the break working with quarterback coach David Morris to improve his accuracy and fine-tune some of his mechanics.
He acknowledged, too, the younger quarterbacks have improved enough to challenge him. And early in the spring, they have.
For Rosier and the rest of the quarterbacks, the competition continues privately, with Saturday’s scrimmage closed to both reporters and fans. But Miami’s spring game on April 14 at Hard Rock Stadium will give spectators their first chance to see, somewhat, how each signal caller has developed.
It should be interesting, considering Perry — a former four-star prospect — has become somewhat of a fan favorite despite not having played in a college game yet.
ccabrera@sun-sentinel .com, Twitter @ChristyChirinos