Another Cane entered transfer portal just before recent window closed
Seems like the transfer portal just opened for business.
But at midnight Tuesday, the NCAA’s 30-day window that began Dec. 4 closed until April 15 — unless you’re a graduate.
The University of Miami has 12 players in the portal, including the newest one to enter Tuesday, per 247Sports: cornerback Davonte Brown. The soon-to-be fifth-year senior had transferred from UCF to UM this season to be near his younger brother Damari, a freshman cornerback. Davonte played in 11 games, and Damari played in nine games, the last four of which he started.
Davonte, like his brother a Plantation American Heritage alum, finished this season with 10 tackles, a pass breakup and quarterback hurry.
But the most intriguing UM player to monitor is sophomore quarterback Jacurri Brown, who played his only game of 2023 last Thursday in the Pinstripe Bowl. Brown will be classified as a redshirt sophomore in 2024 and has three remaining years of eligibility.
The Canes, who are actively searching for at least one quarterback from the transfer portal, have only one healthy signal caller on their current roster: Brown.
Last year, the Canes began spring practice March 4 and had their spring game April 14. So, if Brown stayed put through midnight, he will be around to compete in spring practice. The portal will open again April 15 to April 30. Keep in mind that after the midnight Tuesday deadline, schools have two business days to enter the player’s name into the portal database.
Quarterback Emory Williams, who just finished his first season, is still rehabbing from a compound fracture of his left arm, sustained last month at Florida State, and it’s not known if he’ll be ready for spring practice.
Quarterback Judd Anderson, who signed his letter of intent Dec. 20, is healthy but will be fresh out of high school next month as an early enrollee.
Players competing in the College Football Playoff have an additional five-day transfer window following their games.
Graduate students who have remaining eligibility and are transferring for the first time are exempt from transfer windows. “They may enter the portal at any time during the academic year, subject only to deadlines of May 1 for fall and winter sports,’’ per the NCAA.
Including Davonte Brown, these are the UM players who have entered the portal.
On offense they are: quarterback Tyler Van Dyke; receivers Brashard Smith, Colbie Young and Frank Ladson; tight end Jaleel Skinner; and running back Don Chaney Jr.
On defense: ends Collins Acheampong, Cyrus Moss, Jahfari Harvey and Chantz Williams; and linebacker Corey Flagg.
Classes resume Jan. 16, so most players will be enrolled by then, although there are always a few days’ leeway for new players to register and still be eligible to compete.
THE OTHER TAGOVAILOA
Reports surfaced last month that former Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, the younger brother of Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, might try to get an NCAA waiver to be eligible for a sixth year in an attempt to transfer to Miami and be near Tua.
But it is believed that obtaining a waiver for Tagovailoa, if he, indeed, applied, would be an extremely difficult prospect.
Tagovailoa, who holds the Big Ten passing yards record with 11,356, opted out of the Terrapins’ Dec. 30 Music City Bowl. But he already had exhausted his five-year NCAA eligibility window by playing five games as a backup to Tua and Mac Jones at Alabama in 2019, then transferring to Maryland for the next four seasons.
He played only four games in 2020 for a redshirt season, then played 13 games in 2021 and 12 games apiece in 2022 and 2023.
InsideMDSports of the 247Sports network detailed Maryland coach Mike Locksley’s radio conversation with “The Vinny & Haynie Show” on Baltimore’s 105.7 The
Fan, and reported through sources “in Miami and Maryland” that Taulia’s “family would like to bring him to the city where his brother is a star.”
Taulia has until the Jan. 15 deadline to declare for the NFL Draft, and he’s not a lock to get drafted.