Past moves helped freshman QB adapt fast at UM
The most important revelation of University of Miami spring football this year?
That the Hurricanes have not one, but two, high-level quarterback prospects waiting in the wings for the post-D’Eriq King era. That wasn’t a surprise, but watching early enrollee Jake Garcia was eye-opening to teammates. They already knew
The experience of playing for three different high schools taught impressive freshman QB Jake Garcia how to learn a new offensive system quickly.
Tyler Van Dyke can play; now they know Garcia can, too.
One player spoke privately about how impressed he was by Garcia and how UM is in good hands whoever wins the job in 2022. That player said Garcia takes more chances than Van Dyke, which leads to more bad decisions.
But Garcia also showed
better touch on the deep ball and might have more upside. Risk-reward will factor into what should be a delicious 2022 quarterback battle; it wouldn’t be a surprise whoever wins the job. The hope is that the loser of that battle doesn’t transfer.
So how did Garcia get such a good handle on UM’s offense so quickly? He said it helped that he played at three different high schools over the past 18 months and learned three different offenses.
He began his high school career in California, but moved to Georgia last year when California canceled high school football due to COVID.
“Moving around [to three high schools], some people look at it as a negative but I look at it as a positive,” he said. “I just wanted to play football. That really helped me be