Quarterback Jacurri Brown plans to return to Miami in 2024, according to sources.
Brown took a redshirt in 2023 and saw his only action of the season in a start against Rutgers at the Pinstripe Bowl in late December with the quarterback going 20-of-31 for 181 yards with one touchdown and one interception while rushing for 57 yards and two touchdowns.
Brown will be a redshirt sophomore in 2024. He is returning to Miami with the understanding that the program is still searching for a transfer portal quarterback this season.
Brown is embracing the competition for playing time in 2024 with the understanding that if he continues to develop he has a chance to compete for the starting job in 2025.
At 6-feet-4 and 230 pounds, Brown has plenty of intriguing physical traits to continue to develop within the UM program.
Brown has a big arm that allows him to push the ball downfield and the type of mobility that makes defenses account for him as a running threat, both as a scrambler and on designed quarterback runs.
Brown played in eight games in 2022 and finished throwing for 230 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions while rushing for 221 yards.
In 2022, Brown had his best performance against Georgia Tech, throwing for 136 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 87 yards.
Against Rutgers, Brown showed some year-over-year progress as a passer.
According to PFF, Brown completed 2-of-4 deep shots for 52 yards and one touchdown.
Brown completed 16-of-25 passes for 149 yards with one touchdown and one interception when he was kept clean by Miami’s protection up front.
When Brown had to deal with pressure, he completed 5-of-7 passes for 46 yards while taking just one sack.
Brown was most efficient when passing the ball off of play-action looks against Rutgers. Brown completed 7-of-10 play-action passes for 86 yards and one touchdown.
As a runner, Brown averaged 2.23 yards per carry after contact and forced two missed tackles, which led the Hurricanes rushers on the day.
PFF credited Brown with 33 rushing yards on scrambles and 33 rushing yards on designed quarterback runs. Brown converted five first downs as a runner.
Brown still has plenty of areas to work on in his game like improving his touch and accuracy in the short passing game, but he is on the right trajectory of development.
Miami currently features Brown, rising sophomore Emory Williams, and incoming freshman Judd Anderson on its roster at the quarterback position.
The Hurricanes will also look to add a transfer portal quarterback into the mix.
While Ward has not officially signed with an agent, which leaves the door cracked to remain at the college level, Miami is now also searching for another transfer portal quarterback options.
The Hurricanes played host to two transfer portal quarterbacks in the month of December: Ward and Kansas State’s Will Howard, who is widely considered a lock to land at Ohio State at this stage.
Tyler Van Dyke, UM’s starting quarterback in 2023, made the decision to enter the transfer portal after the regular season and will play his final year of eligibility at Wisconsin.
Van Dyke had an up and down career at Miami in which he flashed plenty of potential, but also lacked some consistency from game to game.
Van Dyke finished his Miami career with 7,469 yards, 54 touchdowns, and 23 interceptions while completing 63.7 percent of his snaps.
Over his final three years at Miami, Van Dyke worked with three different offensive coordinators in Rhett Lashlee, Josh Gattis, and Shannon Dawson.
Miami’s quarterback depth currently features redshirt sophomore Jacurri Brown, rising sophomore Emory Williams, and incoming freshman Judd Anderson, but the UM staff would prefer to have a bridge quarterback start in 2024 as those players continue to develop for a battle for the starting job in 2025.
Who are the best transfer portal quarterback options available at this stage?
Read on for a look at five transfer portal quarterbacks currently available in the porta
De Laura is a veteran quarterback with plenty of experience at the college level, starting his career at Washington State and playing the last two seasons at Arizona.
De Laura has thrown for 8,489 yards with 63 touchdowns and 31 interceptions in his college career. In 2022, De Laura was the full-time starter for Arizona, throwing for 3,685 yards with 25 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
De Laura is mobile enough as well, having rushed for 338 yards and 12 touchdowns at the college level.
De Laura, who is from Hawaii, is respected on the football field for his ability to use the ball downfield. In 2022, de Laura threw for 484 yards and six touchdowns in a win over Colorado.
De Laura has one year of eligibility remaining at the college level. As a juvenile in high school, De Laura was accused of sexual assault and a settlement for that case was rejected by a judge in September of 2023.
Maiava was a redshirt freshman starting quarterback at UNLV this season, passing for 3,085 yards with 17 touchdowns and ten interceptions while rushing for 277 yards and three touchdowns while the Rebels finished with a 9-5 record.
Maiava’s best performance in 2023 came against Colorado State in which he went 27-of-36 for 353 yards.
PFF graded Maiava with a 62.2 passing grade. As a runner, Maiava averaged 2.89 yards per carry after contact and forced 21 missed tackles.
Maiava is a rising redshirt sophomore with three years of eligibility remaining at the college level.
