Picking Jarren Williams Shows Miami Is Looking To Future, Not Past

For a moment, consider you’re on a game show. You’re picking between three doors. Behind Door 1 is a coffee maker, behind Door 2 are a pair of shoes and behind Door 3 is either a new car or $1. Which one are you picking?

Coach Manny Diaz and the rest of the Miami Hurricanes’ staff have chosen Door 3, finally announcing a starting Quarterback with less than two weeks to their Week 0 matchup with the Florida Gators. Jarren Williams is certainly the quarterback with the highest ceiling on the roster, but could very well have the lowest floor. N’Kosi Perry and Tate Martell had more game experience, albeit Martell not much more than Williams, and seemed to be the two most likely to win the starting job.

Yes, CMD had said that this was a new team, a clean slate and every job was open to competition; but was Williams really ready? Perry showed flashes last season and, under a better offense with more weapons, ought to be closer to reaching his potential right? Or Martell, the hotshot transfer who came to Miami with much fanfare, got the hardship waiver so he could seize the starting role? From the outside, it didn’t seem like the redshirt freshman had the best chance to take the job from the other two.

And yet Jarren Williams, months after almost leaving, will start against a likely highly-ranked Florida Gators team, with a chance to be the arm that guides The New Miami to its first victory. The New Miami will be just that; new. A new head coach with a new QB and a lot of new faces via the transfer portal. During his press conference this past Tuesday, CMD mentioned that Miami’s offense was one of the youngest in the nation. The only seniors who would likely see the field are the two grad transfers - WR K.J. Osborn and OL Tommy Kennedy.

Miami and it’s coaches are looking toward the future, taking this New Miami label seriously. Perry had moments last year but was more bad than good - even if one wants to blame that on the tug-of-war he had with the starting job and an anemic offense. For better or worse, Miami knows what it’s getting with Perry; moments of greatness hidden between stretches of inconsistency. Martell didn’t get a long look at OSU but was beat out by a fellow young gun who went on to be a first round draft pick. He bolted once Justin Fields got there and didn’t seem to be a true fit for Dan Enos’ offense.

Williams is truly the great unknown in the QB room, having just three pass attempts to his name after a redshirt season. Miami’s new head coach will set sail on a new era with a clean slate at quarterback, a player with all the potential to be great but unknown levels of polish when he steps on the field. But that’s okay. Jarren Williams doesn’t need to play like a Ferarri. A Honda Civic would be enough to get this team to the ACC Championship after last season’s ramblin’ wreck.