Miami’s Jacurri Brown staying at UM. QB coach: ‘He’s locked in, ready to compete for job’
The quarterback competition at the University of Miami just got stronger.
Miami Hurricanes soon-to-be redshirt sophomore quarterback Jacurri Brown has chosen to stay with the Canes instead of entering the transfer portal, which closed at midnight Tuesday until April 15.
“I’m pleased with the decision,’’ Brown’s Atlanta-based private quarterbacks coach Ron Veal told the Miami Herald on Wednesday. “It gives him another year of growth and development in the same system. I’m excited to see what’s going to happen.’’
Brown, who had an encouraging performance last Thursday against Rutgers in the Pinstripe Bowl, will at minimum compete in UM’s 15-day spring practice period before he makes any other decisions about his future. Miami has not announced when its spring practice session will begin, but in 2023 it began March 4 and ended April 14 with the spring game.
The next transfer portal window is from April 15 to April 30, which would be the next time players, unless they’ve already graduated and still have eligibility, could officially put their names in the portal.
Brown, 6-4 and 220 pounds, is from Valdosta, Georgia. He hadn’t played a single snap in the 2023 season until the Pinstripe Bowl, in which he played the entire game in a 31-24 loss. He was named the bowl starter after longtime UM quarterback Tyler Van Dyke entered the portal and announced he was transferring to Wisconsin.
UM (7-6) is currently seeking at least one quarterback from the transfer portal to vie for the starting spot in 2024. Brown’s return will bolster the competition, which will include recent signee Judd Anderson, who arrives on campus later this month as an early enrollee. Emory Williams, a true freshman who started two games this past season, sustained a compound fracture of his left arm in November at Florida State and is not a sure thing for spring.
Despite UM’s bowl loss, Brown was impressive, completing 20 of 31 passes (64.5 percent completion) for 181 yards and one touchdown, with one interception. One of those passes to Xavier Restrepo in the end zone was reviewed and not called a touchdown, but could have gone either way. Another deep, splendid pass on the first offensive play of the game, probably could have been caught by Jacolby George.
Brown, who is extremely agile, elusive and quick, added two rushing touchdowns on his 15 bowl carries for 57 yards. Those yards take into account the nine yards lost on two sacks.
“He played really well,’’ said Veal, who has also coached former Clemson/current Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, as well as Chicago Bears/Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields. “He controlled the ball and moved the team up and down the field. They scored when they needed to score and he showed great leadership. He understands the offense at a level where they can function well.
“Jacurri is locked in and ready to compete for the job and be the quarterback. That’s his thinking, and why not?”
Entering the bowl, Brown was UM’s only healthy scholarship quarterback. Brown is believed to have requested a redshirt season in 2023 so he could use it as a developmental year, particularly in his passing accuracy. If Brown hadn’t committed to coaches that he would play in the bowl, UM would have had only four walk-on quarterbacks listed on its roster. None of them had played.
In 2022 as a true freshman, Brown played in eight games and threw passes in five of them. He was 27 of 45 (60 percent) for 230 yards and three touchdowns, with three interceptions. His two starts that season included an excellent performance Nov. 12 at Georgia Tech, when he was 14 of 19 for 136 yards and three touchdowns, with 87 yards rushing in a 35-14 victory. He also ran for 223 yards in 2022.
He also started at Clemson in UM’s penultimate game in 2022, but was hit hard and sacked three times, completing 6 of 13 passes for 53 yards and no touchdowns, with one interception.
Veal said Brown is now home on winter break and will likely get together for two days of training in Atlanta. Regarding the expected addition of a transfer quarterback, Veal said, “That’s part of the deal, right? We just have to take care of what we can handle. And that means getting better, developing as a quarterback and being ready to play — like he was in the bowl game.
“Jacurri is working on what he needs to work on.’’
This story was originally published January 3, 2024 at 12:43 PM.
