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Remember when rivals were mocking Miami for not having a full staff? Good times.
According to multiple outlets, Miami native and Appalachian State offensive coordinator Frank Ponce is coming home to join Mario Cristobal’s staff as quarterbacks coach.
Sources: Miami has finalized a two-year deal to hire Appalachian State offensive coordinator Frank Ponce as the school’s new quarterbacks coach. App had the country’s No. 22 scoring offense last season. Ponce also brings deep South Florida ties. @CaneSport first.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 9, 2022
Ponce will also bring the title of pass game coordinator. He brings a strong experience coaching QBs, and will have one of the country’s most promising in Tyler Van Dyke.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 9, 2022
NEWS: Miami native Frank Ponce very excited to be returning home to join Mario Cristobal's staff at Miami as quarterbacks coach. He worked for Cristobal at FIU before hooking up with Scott Satterfield. Was excellent OC/playcaller at App State last season (34.5 ppg).
— Manny Navarro (@Manny_Navarro) February 9, 2022
Ponce comes to Coral Gables after one year of calling plays at App State. However, it was a successful one, as quarterback Chase Brice set a single-season program record with 3,337 passing yards. Brice struggled and hopped around from Clemson to Duke and lastly to App State, but had a renaissance year last season under Ponce’s tutelage.
The 2021 season actually marked Ponce’s second tenure in Boone. From 2013-2018, he served as co-OC/QB coach for App State. QB Zac Taylor earned 2018 Sun Belt offensive player of the year honors. The season before that, Taylor Lamb threw 27 touchdowns to 6 interceptions. From 2019-2020, Ponce continued on Scott Satterfield’s staff in Louisville. Malik Cunningham - whose name Miami fans will certainly recognize - set the school record for passing efficiency at 194.45 in 2019.
Long story short: Ponce has been able to get significant production out of his quarterbacks during his stops in Boone and Louisville. Now, he’ll have far and away the best he’s had to work with in Tyler Van Dyke.
Ponce also has deep ties to local recruiting, having coached at La Progresiva Presbyterian, Coral Gables High, Miami Northwestern, Miami Central (where he coached Willis McGahee, by the way), and Miami Killian. That certainly can’t hurt either.