’Canes take stock of available QBs
The Hurricanes’ plans suffered a big blow Monday morning as former Washington State quarterback Cam Ward announced he was entering the NFL draft instead of picking a new college team via the transfer portal.
Miami heavily recruited Ward in the transfer portal but could not sway him to stay in college for another season.
The transfer portal has been open for nearly a month, and many of the top quarterbacks who were looking for new teams have already made their decisions — including former UM quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, who transferred to Wisconsin. Potential UM options like former Arkansas quarterback K.J. Jefferson and former Clemson and Oregon State veteran D.J. Uiagalelei committed to UCF and FSU, respectively.
However, there are still some promising options in the portal and other paths the Hurricanes could take. Here are a few:
Will Howard
Howard, who is transferring from Kansas State, was one of the first quarterbacks Miami targeted in the transfer portal, bringing him in for a visit in December. But Howard has explored his options and looks like he could be headed to USC or Ohio State.
Howard passed for 2,643 yards and 24 touchdowns with 10 interceptions in 2023. He can also be a threat in the running game, rushing for 351 yards and nine touchdowns this season.
Jordan McCloud
McCloud entered the portal after leading the Dukes to an excellent first season at the FBS level. The 6-foot, 200-pound quarterback is looking for his fourth program; before he played at James Madison, he played at Arizona and USF.
McCloud, a Tampa native, had a 68.2 completion percentage in 2023, throwing for 3,657 yards and 35 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. He also ran for 276 yards and eight touchdowns.
Malachi Nelson
Nelson could be an intriguing option for the Hurricanes. However, he may not be what they are looking for, and Miami may not be what Nelson is looking for. ESPN reported that Nelson and UM had been in communication as of Monday afternoon.
Nelson was one of the nation’s top 2023 quarterbacks coming out of Los Alamitos High in California. He was rated the No. 5 quarterback
and No. 12 prospect in the 2023 class and signed with Lincoln Riley and USC.
Nelson played just four snaps during the Trojans’ season, and Miami may prefer a veteran quarterback with more experience. However, Nelson was a highly rated prospect who has not had a chance to show his potential on the field yet.
Wait and see
The other option for the Hurricanes staff could be to skip bringing in a portal quarterback during this window. The Hurricanes have two scholarship quarterbacks on the roster right now, Jacurri Brown and Emory Williams, and signed incoming freshman Judd Anderson.
Miami could choose to enter spring practices with those three quarterbacks and see what they
have in the young signal-callers. Brown has shown flashes of his ability in his opportunities in 2022 and in the Pinstripe Bowl. Williams looked solid against Clemson but struggled against FSU before suffering a season-ending arm injury. Anderson is not a highly ranked prospect but he put up good stats in his final high school season at Warner Robbins (Ga.).
If the Hurricanes like one of their current options, then their work is finished, and they can name a starter. If they are not pleased with what they see in the spring, they could search for a quarterback when the spring transfer window opens. Of course, the risk with that is they look for a transfer quarterback in the spring and either do not land the player they want or do not like their portal options, either.