Miami’s Cristobal talks portal, QB Jacurri Brown, Canes turning pro and Pinstripe Bowl
University of Miami football coach Mario Cristobal and his counterpart in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl, Rutgers coach Greg Schiano, addressed the media Tuesday in a national Zoom conference.
Cristobal was asked if he expected more than the currently known players to enter the NCAA transfer portal. He also was asked if any additional players would enter the NFL Draft, besides those already declared — guard Javion Cohen, safety Kamren Kinchens, defensive tackle Leonard Taylor III and, most recently, safety James Williams — and if they would play in the Dec. 28 bowl game.
The newest player to join the six others entering the portal is sophomore tight end Jaleel Skinner, who announced Tuesday on social media that he is transferring after playing in only two games this season and catching one pass for nine yards.
“I expect a handful of guys to go pro,’’ said Cristobal, who will sign a larger-than-usual upcoming class, now ranked fifth in the country by 247Sports. “We certainly have to keep supplementing our roster and finding ways to sign a certain amount of members to the 2024 class — both high school and through the portal. So, hopefully we’ll achieve that number and be able to make that room on our roster and also find opportunities for guys on our roster to find a place that suits them and their future and their plans.
“It’s very fluid. We have a really good plan for it. And happy for the guys coming in and wishing well for the guys that are on their way to another opportunity.’’
Hurricanes followers are also wondering if sophomore quarterback Jacurri Brown, who will play for the first time in 2023 as the Hurricanes’ starter, will be back in 2024 or enter the portal following the game.
“What would you like to see from him in the bowl game?’’ the coach was asked. “How difficult might it be for him when he hasn’t played all season and do you expect to see Jacurri Brown back next season?”
“He’s played a lot of football throughout the course of his high school career,’’ Cristobal said of Brown. “He’s been playing football since he’s been knee-high, so we expect him to play his very best. And that’s it, nothing more and nothing less. He’s excited about the opportunity, he’ll be well prepared and his only focus is this football game and this team — nothing that’s happened before and nothing after. He has the confidence of his teammates and the entire coaching staff.’’
Regarding the portal and quarterbacks, Cristobal declined to give any specifics on UM’s plans. The Hurricanes already lost veteran starter Tyler Van Dyke to the portal, which opened its 30-day window Monday, and are in the process of evaluating the many quarterbacks who already have initiated the transfer process. UM undoubtedly will get a quarterback from the portal, in addition to committed prospect Judd Anderson of Warner Robins (Georgia) High. True freshman signal-caller Emory Williams sustained a compound fracture of his left arm last month at Florida State, and Brown’s future plans have not been revealed.
“We don’t discuss personnel stuff openly with the media,’’ Cristobal said, when asked if he’s hoping to add more than one quarterback from the portal and if he feels as if he’s close to adding at least one. “We have a great plan in place. We have certainly built the roster in a short amount of time to the level of expectation, the caliber of what Miami football should look like. We will continue to do so, and we feel extremely confident that by the end of the recruiting cycle we’ll be exactly where we need to be.’’
Cristobal discussed the challenges of preparing for a bowl while recruiting and scouring the transfer portal and preparing for the early signing period Dec. 20-22.
“I’m glad we’re on here with Coach Schiano,’’ said Cristobal, who coached with Schiano in the past at UM and under Schiano at Rutgers. “One of the lessons he taught me is that any time you have situations like this that arise... If you look at it for what it really is, every single one of these opportunities, whether it be a defection, someone you asked to move on, someone declaring for the draft, all it should be in everybody’s mind is an opportunity to upgrade. That’s what he taught me.
“What I think was an ominous cloud early when this whole portal came on, now it’s an exciting time. In terms of focusing, you have 24 hours in a day and you use every hour that you possibly can. ...We do this because we love it. There’s no complaining. You just attack it.”
James Williams
Leading tackler James Williams made official what the Hurricanes program was expecting all along.
Williams, a third-year junior, confirmed Tuesday on Instagram that he will forgo his senior season to enter the 2024 NFL Draft.
His marketing agent, Eric Dounn of LAA Sports & Entertainment, said last Tuesday on the social media platform X that Williams had not announced yet and was “weighing ALL options... Let’s wait to hear from him when he’s ready.’’
Williams, a daunting 6-5 and 215 pounds, came to UM in 2021 as a five-star Plantation American Heritage High recruit rated the nation’s No. 1 safety. He has started 29 of his 33 games and amassed 162 tackles, two tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, 17 pass deflections and four interceptions.
This season, Williams started all 12 games and led UM in tackles with 73. He also has one interception returned 44 yards, a pass breakup, three quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
Williams thanked his teammates, his family, his coaches and “finally,’’ the fans.
“Thank you for cheering for me and my brothers through thick and thin,’’ Williams wrote on social media. “I hope you know that I gave my all for this team and this city every single day.’’
In 2022, Williams was second on the team with 58 tackles and had one tackle for loss, one interception, six pass breakups, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.
And his freshman year in 2021, Williams had 31 tackles, half a tackle for loss, four deflections and two interceptions.
This story was originally published December 5, 2023 at 3:42 PM.
