Here’s when Miami coach Manny Diaz will name starting quarterback: ‘When it’s obvious’
The quarterback questions flowed, as expected, during spring practice No. 4 Tuesday at the University of Miami.
How is Tate Martell doing? What about N’Kosi Perry and Jarren Williams?
Each was asked in a variety of ways. But the one that got the most attention was when coach Manny Diaz was asked, “When would you like to name a starting quarterback? Some people do it after the spring. Some people wait till a week before the first game. What’s your philosophy on that?”
“When it’s obvious,” Diaz replied.
When that will be remains to be seen, as evidenced Tuesday by the words of Diaz and new offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Dan Enos. It could be a long time from now.
“If you have a guy, you want that guy to be the starting quarterback because you want everyone in the locker room to know,’’ Diaz said. “If you don’t have a guy, if you’re not sure who the guy is, then you have to battle it out. There’s no craftiness of trying to hold it in. If we knew today, we’d announce it today.
”I like what we have going on right now. Again, one of the big themes of the spring: out of your comfort zone, everybody on edge, no one really comfortable with anything, and let’s see who responds to the chaos.”
Enos said the Hurricanes have been alternating first-team quarterback snaps among recent Ohio State transfer Martell, redshirt sophomore and former starter Perry and redshirt freshman Williams.
“We’ve switched it up every time,’’ Enos said. “We try to get them equal amounts of reps. Based on their performance, by the end of practice, they’re either going to get more or they’re going to get less. I do think there needs to be consequences. If two or three plays in a row you make a mental error we’re not going to continue to give you reps.
“The first part of practice is all scripted.”
When asked where he has seen the most progress from his quarterback group, Enos took it a step back.
“You know what, we’ve made a little bit of progress. We haven’t made a lot of progress in any area. We have a lot of work to do. We have to learn how to be a quarterback first and foremost. We have to learn the off-the-field intangible things it takes to be a championship level quarterback. I’m trying to mentor them and teach them how to do that — their preparation, their mind-set, their focus, their attitude, the way they walk in this building every day... That is a work in progress.
“From a fundamental technique standpoint, we have a long way to go on just taking a proper drop, the mechanics, where our eyes and feet go. We’re making strides, but it’s been a slow process. We’ve only had four practices.
“... Right now we want them to get very comfortable with the terminology. They’re speaking a new language. Some of these guys have never even called a play in a huddle before and so that’s new, just articulating the play call to everybody, rather than just looking to the sideline and getting the signal and snapping the ball.
“Some of them have never used a cadence very much because they just clap a lot, so we’re incorporating some different cadences with them as well. When you are doing this many things that are kind of foreign to them, there will be growing pains in practice as we’re experiencing right now.’’
The “clapping” at the line of scrimmage had to make it obvious to defenders when the Hurricanes would snap the ball.
“Everybody caught right on,’’ sophomore DJ Scaife, the new left tackle, said about getting rid of the clapping, adding that “sometimes we be in the [shotgun], sometimes we be under center.” He called Enos “a genius’’ on offense. “When he describes stuff to us he basically just opens up my mind.”
Enos was asked about Martell’s throws at times not being tight spirals.
“Sometimes the inaccuracies will come [because] of feet,’’ the coach said. “That’s most of it. Some of it may be caused by hesitancy rather than being really decisive. When a guy is not decisive, the ball may come out late. Sometimes when it comes out late, you don’t have a quick arm. And when you don’t have a quick arm the ball may wobble on you a little bit.”
The three upcoming scrimmages, the first of which is closed on April 7, will give coaches a better feel.
“If they’re not live it’s hard to assess it sometimes,’’ Enos said. “We blow the whistle quick. Some guys are better at extending plays... I don’t think we’ll make them live, but at least we’ll maybe let plays get extended, put them on the field by themselves without the coaches and see who can move the football team.’’
Diaz was asked specifically about Williams, who only played sparingly in one game last season; and Martell, who played the last two years at Ohio State, the first year as a redshirt and the second as a backup.
“Jarren has arm talent,’’ Diaz said. “Jarren can make throws. In terms of getting better, in terms of commanding the huddle and understanding what’s going on, that’s just the deal. Coach Enos is really demanding and really wants them to do it exactly right. And when they come out here and sometimes they think they know, then they don’t know. So, like I said, once those guys become more comfortable in terms of our pass concepts, then some of the natural talent will start to really show.”
And Martell?
“He can make all the throws,’’ Diaz said. “He’s got good zip on his ball. And from a physical standpoint he gives you an element with his legs, either A. On design quarterback runs or B. On improvisation, that makes a defense have to defend two plays.
“There’s no doubt he has got good skills. All of our quarterbacks are all being held to a ridiculously high standard by Coach Enos, in terms of how that they take the drop, how they maneuver in the pocket, where their eye progression should be. So all of that is new for all those guys, so we wouldn’t expect any of those guys to be perfect at it just four or five days in. But they’re learning. It’s been a good competition.”
Sophomore tailback Cam’Ron Harris (who changed his last name from Davis to match his dad’s) said he wasn’t sure which quarterback would win the job. “But everybody at that quarterback position is the man... They’re all good. Once we get this playbook down pat, it’s going to be awesome.”
▪ The “Big Cane Drill” on Tuesday included Martell and walk-on Carson Proctor. Receiver Dee Wiggins said that Martell prevailed. Another apparent winner was receiver Evidence Njoku over safety Amari Carter.
This story was originally published March 26, 2019 at 3:28 PM.
