When I took a step back and tried to look at the whole picture as objectively as possible like Manny/Enos would, the decision to name Jarren starting QB actually makes about perfect sense to me.
With Kosi, he has been here, has the most experience, can make electric plays, and kept himself clean off of the field throughout the off-season. Props to Kosi for that. Many believed that he would be a natural successor to Rosier, but his immaturity last season coupled with his inconsistency this off-season clearly was not enough to carry the day for Manny/Enos to name him starting QB.
With Tate, certainly, the expectations were high. A blue chip, #1 dual-threat QB from a prestigious program like ours in Ohio State, recruited by the great offensive mind Urban Meyer... Whatever happened at Ohio State, nobody can deny the level of enthusiastic expectations which were immediately felt when the NCAA gave this guy his transfer waiver... High flying swag, piping 22-year old Brazilian models, and elite athletic skill sets... The guy seemed to be a perfect fit in Miami, at The U... However, practice after practice, scrimmage after scrimmage, and week after week, what started to become clearer was that Tate didn't have the substance to back the flashy swag. One poster stated in another thread that he is reality TV star wannabe... I'm not ready to go that far, but Tate appears to be closer to that label than the label of starting QB at a major program. A mere cursory review of his history illustrates a troubling pattern of committing, de-committing, all-in, all-out, with various programs going back to when he was in the 9th grade. We weren't the program to recruit him out of high school- perhaps we really didn't know him the way we thought we did?
Ironically, Tate perfectly represents what we have been the last 15 years- flashy swag without substance, and maybe that's why so many of us, including myself, felt so strongly that he was going to be the guy to start against UF. Whatever happens to Tate, I harbor no ill-will towards the young man. After all, this is amateur athletics. These guys aren't paid, and half of them are teenagers. My main concern is who wants to be HERE, as opposed to who doesn't want to be here. Lessons learned.
And last, but obviously now not least, there is Jarren. The seemingly forgotten, highly recruited 4/5 star QB on this roster. The guy whose sole game action in 2018 was 3 pass attempts against a lowly Savannah State program en route to a 77-0 victory. Richt's fault was both failing to play him more once the season was lost, and further failing to redshirt him in lieu of actually playing him more in the first place. But that issue is long gone now. What we do know is that Jarren was out of shape last year, thought about transferring, and certainly didn't perform in practice at a level to warrant him to at least start over Kosi. So, it is not surprising that most of didn't think too much of Jarren coming into this off-season.
But "The New Miami" always seemed to need "A New QB" to be the face of a new regime here... Jarren slowly, steadily improved himself. He lost some bad weight, improved his attitude/work ethic, kept his faith in his teammates, the program, improved his speed, and above all himself, worked on his in-the-pocket footwork, and kept quiet. He wasn't as loud as either Tate or Perry- he was more concerned with tangible substance than flashy swag. He kept his head down, his mouth quiet, and delivered results in practices/scrimmages.
Certainly, questions remain about his ability to face formidable pressure, under the lights, against a ranked team like Florida. We'll have answers to those questions in about 10 days, and make no mistake, Florida will bring the blitz. It's not the ideal situation. There are no "warm-up" games this year, so this is a baptism by fire. We'll see whether Jarren's intestinal fortitude i.e., his mental make up, can withstand what lies ahead in Orlando. Jarren may fall flat on his face against UF, and we may be left scratching, shaking our heads after only one game...
But what I do know is this: (1) Jarren is a great thrower of the football, and accuracy is something we haven't had here at the QB position in many years; (2) Jarren is more than mobile, athletic enough to make plays outside of the pocket if/when necessary; and (3) Jarren is a quiet leader, who faced adversity in the face, overcame obstacles, and earned the respect of his both coaches and teammates to be named starting QB. Maybe it's time we get back to embracing more of the basics of what takes to be a great QB at Miami. I'm ready to root for this young man.
With all the loud noise, flashy swag, and elevated expectations surrounding the QB competition, maybe the answer to the question for Diaz/Enos was easier than we thought, all along...?
Go Canes.
With Kosi, he has been here, has the most experience, can make electric plays, and kept himself clean off of the field throughout the off-season. Props to Kosi for that. Many believed that he would be a natural successor to Rosier, but his immaturity last season coupled with his inconsistency this off-season clearly was not enough to carry the day for Manny/Enos to name him starting QB.
With Tate, certainly, the expectations were high. A blue chip, #1 dual-threat QB from a prestigious program like ours in Ohio State, recruited by the great offensive mind Urban Meyer... Whatever happened at Ohio State, nobody can deny the level of enthusiastic expectations which were immediately felt when the NCAA gave this guy his transfer waiver... High flying swag, piping 22-year old Brazilian models, and elite athletic skill sets... The guy seemed to be a perfect fit in Miami, at The U... However, practice after practice, scrimmage after scrimmage, and week after week, what started to become clearer was that Tate didn't have the substance to back the flashy swag. One poster stated in another thread that he is reality TV star wannabe... I'm not ready to go that far, but Tate appears to be closer to that label than the label of starting QB at a major program. A mere cursory review of his history illustrates a troubling pattern of committing, de-committing, all-in, all-out, with various programs going back to when he was in the 9th grade. We weren't the program to recruit him out of high school- perhaps we really didn't know him the way we thought we did?
Ironically, Tate perfectly represents what we have been the last 15 years- flashy swag without substance, and maybe that's why so many of us, including myself, felt so strongly that he was going to be the guy to start against UF. Whatever happens to Tate, I harbor no ill-will towards the young man. After all, this is amateur athletics. These guys aren't paid, and half of them are teenagers. My main concern is who wants to be HERE, as opposed to who doesn't want to be here. Lessons learned.
And last, but obviously now not least, there is Jarren. The seemingly forgotten, highly recruited 4/5 star QB on this roster. The guy whose sole game action in 2018 was 3 pass attempts against a lowly Savannah State program en route to a 77-0 victory. Richt's fault was both failing to play him more once the season was lost, and further failing to redshirt him in lieu of actually playing him more in the first place. But that issue is long gone now. What we do know is that Jarren was out of shape last year, thought about transferring, and certainly didn't perform in practice at a level to warrant him to at least start over Kosi. So, it is not surprising that most of didn't think too much of Jarren coming into this off-season.
But "The New Miami" always seemed to need "A New QB" to be the face of a new regime here... Jarren slowly, steadily improved himself. He lost some bad weight, improved his attitude/work ethic, kept his faith in his teammates, the program, improved his speed, and above all himself, worked on his in-the-pocket footwork, and kept quiet. He wasn't as loud as either Tate or Perry- he was more concerned with tangible substance than flashy swag. He kept his head down, his mouth quiet, and delivered results in practices/scrimmages.
Certainly, questions remain about his ability to face formidable pressure, under the lights, against a ranked team like Florida. We'll have answers to those questions in about 10 days, and make no mistake, Florida will bring the blitz. It's not the ideal situation. There are no "warm-up" games this year, so this is a baptism by fire. We'll see whether Jarren's intestinal fortitude i.e., his mental make up, can withstand what lies ahead in Orlando. Jarren may fall flat on his face against UF, and we may be left scratching, shaking our heads after only one game...
But what I do know is this: (1) Jarren is a great thrower of the football, and accuracy is something we haven't had here at the QB position in many years; (2) Jarren is more than mobile, athletic enough to make plays outside of the pocket if/when necessary; and (3) Jarren is a quiet leader, who faced adversity in the face, overcame obstacles, and earned the respect of his both coaches and teammates to be named starting QB. Maybe it's time we get back to embracing more of the basics of what takes to be a great QB at Miami. I'm ready to root for this young man.
With all the loud noise, flashy swag, and elevated expectations surrounding the QB competition, maybe the answer to the question for Diaz/Enos was easier than we thought, all along...?
Go Canes.
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