Lamar Jackson, Teddy Bridgewater, and Tommie Frazier may have transformed Miami Football. Two of those quarterbacks would have necessitated some ‘beyond the box’ thinking on the part of Hurricanes coaches.
With Lamar Jackson preparing for the AFC Championship Game, I started thinking about former Florida high school quarterbacks who could have had a big influence on the Miami Hurricanes. Some of these quarterbacks played a different type or were blocked by a quarterback already on school, but the top three picks for the post were all four-star quarterbacks or above, according to 247 or Tom Lemming.
While “Touchdown” Tommie Frazier and Jackson would have represented a change in offensive strategy throughout those eras of ‘Canes football, Teddy Bridgewater suited the bill and ended up at Louisville instead.
Let’s look back at the history of quarterbacks who could have played for the Hurricanes.
Tommie Frazier, Bradenton Manatee High, c/o 1992
Frazier, the third-best player in the country according to Tom Lemming in 1992, planned to play for the University of Miami but ended up playing quarterback for the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Frazier threw for 1,600 yards and 33 touchdowns between his junior and senior seasons at Bradenton Manatee HS on Florida’s west coast, while passing for 2,600 yards and 30 touchdowns.
While Gino Torretta (1992 Heisman Trophy winner, 1989 and 1991 National Champion) was a senior on the ‘Canes roster in 1992, the other two quarterbacks on the roster to replace him in 1993 were Frank Costa and Ryan Collins.
Frazier, a four-year starter at Nebraska who appeared in three National Championship games, threw as many touchdowns (43) as Collins and Costa combined, but just 11 interceptions, whereas the aforementioned combo totaled 41.
Frazier finished 33-3 as a starting QB for the Huskers winning two national titles (1994, 1995) including one over the Hurricanes in the 1995 Orange Bowl, and won four Big Eight Conference Championships.
Frazier dominated the 1996 Fiesta Bowl against Miami’s most despised foe, the Florida Gators, and produced what was likely the greatest run in college football history.
Frazier finished 1-0 against the Miami Hurricanes. Dennis Erickson was the coach at the time, and Miami used the one-back spread with 11 players (one back and one tight end). Frazier was viewed as a “skill player” in that offence rather than a quarterback, and he benefited from Tom Osborne’s option offence at Nebraska.
Lamar Jackson of Boynton Beach Community High School, c/o 2015.
Lamar Jackson arrived at Louisville in 2015 as the 18th-ranked quarterback in the 2015 class. Miami replaced Jackson with three-star Evan Shirreffs (91st overall). Jackson, a four-star quarterback from Ft. Lauderdale, FL, would have faced Brad Kaaya in a quarterback competition in 2015.
Jackson threw for 2,263 yards and 31 touchdowns in high school, with nine interceptions, and rushed for 1,624 yards and 22 touchdowns. The six-foot-two, 212-pound NFL MVP tied Kaaya for most passing touchdowns in college, with 69, while tossing 27 interceptions to Kaaya’s 24.
Unlike Kaaya, Jackson was a dual-threat player who rushed for 4,132 yards, 6.3 yards per carry, and 50 touchdowns for the Cardinals over three seasons. Kaaya completed 3% more throws and averaged 0.1 yards per attempt.
Jackson earned the Heisman Trophy in 2016 and was the 32nd overall choice in the 2018 NFL Draft. Jackson received the AP NFL MVP award for his efforts in the 2019 season and is now 58-19 as a starting quarterback in the NFL.
Jackson signed with Bobby Petrino’s Cardinals rather than the Hurricanes. Al Golden, the 2015 Hurricanes’ coach, was sacked that season. Could changing the offence have saved Golden’s time in Coral Gables? Probably not. However, Kaaya was trained in James Coley’s more ‘professional style’ offence, and Jackson could have used his legs to avoid pressure and keep defences honest.
Teddy Bridgewater, Miami-Northwestern HS, c/o 2011
Teddy Bridgewater signed with the Louisville Cardinals in 2011 after decommitting to Miami in the offseason. Bridgewater was a four-star talent from Miami Northwestern High School and the country’s 11th-rated quarterback.
Bridgewater had 2,546 yards and 32 touchdown passes as a junior and 2,606 yards and 22 touchdown passes as a senior (he missed time due to an injury).
Bridgewater was catapulted into the starting quarterback job by Charlie Strong during his second season as head coach. Bridgewater had a poor 2011 season, passing 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions on 7.2 yards per attempt and completing 64.5% of his passes.
Bridgewater improved his skills and concluded his college career completing 68.4% of his throws with 72 touchdowns and 24 interceptions while averaging 8.6 yards per attempt. In 2011, Jacory Harris graduated as a senior, and Stephen Morris served as a backup quarterback.
The quarterback room was full, but Bridgewater would have provided excellent competition for Morris moving forward, rather than not signing a quarterback in the 2011 class. Bridgewater really played Miami in the Russell Athletic Bowl, when he defeated his hometown Hurricanes 36-9.
The Minnesota Vikings drafted Bridgewater 32nd overall in the 2014 NFL Draft.
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