CORAL GABLES – Last season, the Miami Hurricanes played mainly two quarterbacks over the course of the season, with Malik Rosier and N’Kosi Perry throwing a combined 347 passes.
However, according to tight end Brevin Jordan, it was then-true freshman Jarren Williams who thought he was the best quarterback in the room.
Despite what Williams believed, though, the Lawrenceville (Ga.) native saw just clean-up duty in a 77-0 win over Savannah State early in the season. Under new NCAA rules, Williams would be redshirted.
“[Jarren] felt like he was the best guy on the team,” Jordan said. “So for him to go through that, and see what he was going through, it hurt us man.”
The lack of playtime almost led Williams to transfer. According to Jordan, it was a conversation between him, Williams and Hightower that might have made enough of a difference.
“I was with Jarren when he was about to put his name in the transfer portal. It was me and Brian Hightower with him,” Jordan said. “We were like, ‘I’m telling you, you can do it. Just stay, just stick it out.’ We were telling [Williams] that God puts his toughest warriors with the hardest battles.”
The past, of course, is the past for Williams and the Hurricanes.
In late December, then-head coach Mark Richt announced his resignation from the position. In the following weeks, the Hurricanes announced the hiring of Manny Diaz.
All of this, according to Jordan, was a turning point for Williams.
“When Richt resigned, I feel like it was a fresh start,” Jordan said. “[Williams] has a whole new coaching staff, I feel like that was the turning point. He was like, ‘Cool, I gotta lock in, I need to lead this team.’”
For Williams, the sky’s the limit in the Hurricanes offense, especially now that he is their starting quarterback.
After a terrific spring and fall camp for the former high school All-American quarterback, Diaz announced Williams as the starting quarterback for the Hurricanes’ first game of the season against the nationally ranked Florida Gators (No. 8; Preseason AP Poll) in Orlando.
PHOTO CREDITS: Jeffrey Wimbrow and Naji Tobias
