This spring practice at the University of Miami will feature a quarterback competition.
The Hurricanes finally snagged a transfer portal signal-caller this summer when FCS Albany star Reese Poffenbarger committed to the Hurricanes on Monday afternoon.
Poffenbarger, who registered with the NCAA on December 20, passed for 36 touchdowns and 3,603 yards in 2023, the most of any FCS quarterback. In 2022, he was the Colonial Athletic Association Offensive Rookie of the Year (2,999 yards passing, 24 touchdowns, four interceptions) and the Jerry Rice Award Runner-Up.
Despite being known for his strong arm, Poffenbarger rushed for 187 yards and five touchdowns this season.
Poffenbarger, from Middletown, Maryland, is 6-0 and 208 pounds, with two more seasons of eligibility. He just finished his redshirt sophomore season with the Great Danes after redshirting for Old Dominion in 2021 before moving to Albany in 2022.
“Through Christ who strengthens me, I can do all things!” Let’s get started!” Poffenbarger wrote on the social media site X, “Committed to the U.”
After veteran starter Tyler Van Dyke departed to Wisconsin, the Hurricanes have been looking for a transfer portal quarterback. With Van Dyke gone, Jacurri Brown, a soon-to-be redshirt sophomore quarterback, would have been the only healthy scholarship quarterback on the roster, aside from true freshman Judd Anderson, who will arrive on campus next week.
Emory Williams, a rising sophomore who started two of his five games this season, suffered a compound fracture of his left arm at Florida State in November. Williams’ ailment is currently being treated.
UM was unable to sign a Washington State transfer. Cam Ward, widely regarded as the portal’s finest quarterback, declared his intention to enter the NFL Draft instead. Will Howard of Kansas State, another highly regarded transfer quarterback, also visited Miami but selected Ohio State.
The Canes were also interested in Big Ten passing yards leader Taulia Tagovailoa, the younger brother of Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and a former Maryland Terrapins (and Alabama) quarterback. Taulia, a graduate transfer, had his name placed into the transfer portal last week. Taulia’s NCAA eligibility had expired, so the NCAA would have to grant him a waiver to play a sixth season.
If his waiver request is denied, Tagovailoa will have until January 15 to enter the NFL Draft. However, Poffenbarger’s arrival could provide some significant competition for Brown, whose only game in 2023 was the Pinstripe Bowl finale versus Rutgers.
Rutgers defeated UM 31-24, although Brown had a good effort. He completed 20 of 31 (64.5 percent) passes for 181 yards and one touchdown, with one interception. He also scored two touchdowns on the ground.
Last week, Brown’s Atlanta-based private quarterbacks coach, Ron Veal, told the Miami Herald, “Jacurri is locked in and ready to compete for the job and be the quarterback.” “That’s his thinking, and why not?”
“Albany will forever have a place in my heart, and we did a lot of special things,” Poffenbarger told ESPN on Monday. After all was said and done, I decided it was time to move on and put myself in the greatest position to compete for a national title and one day play in the NFL.”
According to his Albany bio, Poffenbarger’s sister, Saylor, was a part of Team USA women’s basketball. She is now a 6-2 redshirt sophomore starter for the Razorbacks. Amy, his mother, was a basketball player at the University of Missouri.
The Great Danes (11-4) finished the regular season with a 59-0 loss against South Dakota State in the FCS playoff semifinals. In the season finale, Poffenbarger threw three of his 13 interceptions. His completion rate was 58.6 percent.
According to 247Sports, Poffenbarger received an 81.2 passing rating from Pro Football Focus in 2023.
Poffenbarger was a first-team all-state quarterback in high school. According to his Albany bio, he passed for 6,500 yards, 67 touchdowns, and had a 68 percent completion rate in high school.
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