NCAA Football
With two top freshman QBs, Hurricanes’ Shannon to play both
For those who say a two-quarterback system doesn’t work in college football, be aware that the last two national champions (Florida – Tim Tebow and Chris Leak) and LSU (Matt Flynn, Ryan Perrilloux) used something of a rotation.
That’s not to say Miami coach Randy Shannon is expecting to win a national title with his young team this season, but the UM coach says that both of his highly touted former Mr. Florida Football winners will play this year in order to get experience for both.
Robert Marve, who was in the recruiting class of 2007, sat out last year after being injured in car accident. He will platoon in some form with Jacory Harris, Miami’s 2008 top QB recruit and who surpassed a few of Marve’s prep records in the Sunshine State. Actually, Shannon also mentioned fellow freshman Cannon Smith as possibly fitting into the group, but he’s expected to only rotate Marve and Harris.
“Whichever quarterback we name, we’re going to play the other one,” Shannon said. “We need depth at every position on the field, and that’s the one position that we don’t have depth at because they’re young. They’re good quarterbacks, but they’re young.”
Kyle Wright and Kirby Freeman split time at quarterback in 2007, when the Hurricanes finished 5-7 in Shannon’s first year at UM. Wright graduated and Freeman transferred to Baylor, leaving the lane open for three players who haven’t taken a college football snap.
The last time UM had this much inexperience was in 1983 with Bernie Kosar, who that year led the Hurricanes to the national title.
Shannon said he won’t officially select a starter until the week of the season opener against Charleston Southern, and that gives each player all of camp to emerge as a clear-cut favorite.
Marve, a 6-foot-1, 203-pound redshirt freshman, was the state’s Mr. Football and Parade All-American in 2006 at Tampa Plant High School. He broke Tebow’s state records with 48 touchdown passes and 4,380 yards. Marve might have the edge in being named the starter because he has been in the system for a year.
Harris (6-4, 170) was the state’s Mr. Football in 2007 after throwing for 49 TDs and leading Miami Northwestern to the Class 6A state title and the mythical national title (USA Today, Sports Illustrated). Harris led Northwestern to a 30-0 record as a starter.
Overall, Miami has only 11 starters back from a team that lost six of its last seven games last season.
“We expect big things for us this season,” Shannon said. “I can’t tell you what the record’s gonna be, but we will improve from last year’s record.”
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