Miami Hurricanes set Transfer Portal active as players set to leave
Washington State quarterback Cam Ward officially entered the transfer portal on Friday. He will be the most sought after available quarterback and I expect the Miami Hurricanes to be among his suitors.
Ward checks off all of my boxes. He’s a veteran. He has NFL level arm talent. He can hurt defenses with his legs.
Ward was prolific with the Cougars in 2023. He completed 66.7 percent of his passes for 3,732 yards with 25 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He added 8 rushing TD’s.
It’s worth noting that even though Ward hit the portal, he’s also considering the option of going pro.
While there are some questions about his decision making at times, I would be hard pressed to find a better overall option than Ward. As Bruce Feldman notes below, plenty of big programs will be interested.
If Mario Cristobal can’t lure Ward to Coral Gables, I hope Miami finds another grad transfer. To me, a one-year bridge quarterback would be ideal.
Miami has a strong roster and could be a consistent quarterback away from competing for an ACC Championship. A stable, talented vet can get them there. Then, in 2025, Emory Williams, Jacurri Brown (if he sticks around), and Judd Anderson can battle it out for QB1. In 2024, the vet can mentor the younger guys before passing the torch.
Graduate transfer Will Rogers from Mississippi State is another intriguing option to me because he knows the air raid offense. It should be an easy transition for him in Shannon Dawson’s system at Miami. Another grad transfer, Will Howard of Kansas State, intrigues me with his dual threat capabilities.
Younger options are available, too. This morning on my Locked On Canes podcast I talked about the possibility of UCLA quarterback Dante Moore. Moore entered the portal just one season removed from high school.
While Moore is supremely talented, he’s likely not ready to lead a team to a conference championship. He’s not “plug and play” like the others we discussed. He needs development. Even if Miami could land Moore, in my opinion they’d still need a veteran to navigate the upcoming season. Is there enough NIL money to grab two? The quarterback market is reportedly in the 7-figure range for top targets.
Ward is my personal favorite option, but we need to trust head coach Mario Cristobal, OC Shannon Dawson, and GM Alonzo Highsmith to pick the quarterback who fits the scheme and the locker room best. You could argue that inconsistent quarterback cost Miami multiple wins in 2023. That must not happen again in ’24.
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