Clock ticking on UM quarterback search. And Canes poised for another staff change
A few UM notes on a Saturday night:
▪ If the Miami Hurricanes want to add a new quarterback who’s eligible to participate in spring practice, they have only three more shopping days left to accomplish that.
A school spokesman confirmed that any new player must enroll by Tuesday to be eligible for the semester that began Jan. 8, and consequently, to participate in spring practice in March and April.
UM emerged encouraged by Houston grad transfer quarterback D’Eriq King’s visit to campus this weekend, according to a school source. School officials thought it went well.
King - whose visit ended Saturday afternoon - did not make a commitment. The Washington Post reported he will visit Maryland this weekend (that has not been confirmed), but Oklahoma and LSU are thought to be the Canes’ main competition.
His high school quarterbacks coach, Greg Bennett, told Canesport’s Matt Shodell that King enjoyed his UM visit and “liked the coaches and loved the campus and the city.”
King is UM’s top choice to take over at quarterback for the 2020 season; he threw for 36 touchdowns and ran for 14 - with just six interceptions -during a spectacular 2018 season at Houston.
If King opts for a different school, UM could quickly pivot to another QB in the portal, a group that includes Stanford’s K.J. Costello, UF’s Feleipe Franks (linked to Kansas and Arkansas) and Boston College’s Anthony Brown and Clemson’s Chase Brice, who threw for 1094 yards, nine touchdowns and four interceptions as Trevor Lawrence’s backup the past two seasons.
Texas Tech quarterback Jett Duffey, another prominent QB in the portal, is expected to enroll at Central Michigan, according to The Athletic. Academics would have potentially been an obstacle for Duffey at UM; he was reportedly denied admission at Tulane after initially deciding to transfer there.
All of those quarterbacks (King, Costello, Brown, Brice, Franks) would be eligible to play in 2020, and Brice has two years of eligibility left.
UM will move forward with Jarren Williams, N’Kosi Perry and Tate Martell - plus redshirt freshman Peyton Matocha and recently-arrived freshman Tyler Van Dyke - if it cannot find a player it considers an upgrade.
And even if the Canes do not land a quarterback by Tuesday, they could still add a grad transfer at any point after that, but without the ability to participate in spring practice.
▪ Though UM isn’t commenting, some players are fully expecting receivers coach Taylor Stubblefield to move on after one year with the program.
According to footballscoop.com, Penn State is targeting Stubblefield to become its new receivers coach. Stubblefield, a former All-American receiver at Purdue, previously coached at Air Force, Wake Forest, New Mexico, Central Michigan, Illinois State, Eastern Michigan and Central Washington, as well as in the Canadian Football League.
Among the potential candidates to replace him: Northwestern State receivers coach Alvin Slaughter, a former LSU assistant who previously led Miami’s Monsignor Pace to four districts championships and a regional championship as head coach. And others will be considered, too, if Stubblefield leaves, as players expect.
▪ UM kicker Bubba Baxa and tight end Brian Polendey both entered the transfer portal, as expected.
Polendey had one reception for 14 yards in two seasons and figured to play sparingly next season, with returning players Brevin Jordan, Will Mallory, Michael Irvin Jr. and Larry Hodges ahead of him. Dominic Mamarelli, UM’s only Class of 2020 tight end, enrolled at Miami earlier this month.
Baxa was benched last season after missing five of 10 field goals and 2 of 17 extra points. FIU grad transfer Jose Borregales will be UM’s kicker in 2020.
This story was originally published January 18, 2020 at 7:41 PM.
