Freshman quarterback Dereon Coleman is making a push that Miami can’t ignore.
Duke transfer Darian Mensah already has the Hurricanes’ starting job locked up before ever stepping on campus in Coral Gables, but the battle behind him is wide open. Redshirt freshman Luke Nickel is the projected No. 2, yet Coleman is the name with the momentum to turn that picture into a real competition.
Coleman arrives with a strong résumé and a growing frame. The Lakeland native, who recently attended Jones High School in Orlando, completed 526 of 737 passes over three seasons, good for 71.4 percent, and piled up 8,559 yards with 74 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 44 games, according to MaxPreps. He also showed more than enough legs to matter as a dual-threat option, rushing 114 times for 762 yards and five touchdowns as a senior.
The biggest question around Coleman has never been his arm. It’s been his size.
He was listed at six feet and 165 pounds before enrolling, then measured at 6-1 and 175 pounds once he got to Miami. Photos from the team’s media day earlier this week suggest he has added even more muscle over the summer.
Erving Young, Victor Ishmael, Nick Tulloch, Houston Owens, and Johnny Jordan are part of the program’s strength and conditioning staff.
For Miami, Coleman’s progress matters beyond the immediate depth chart. The Hurricanes are aiming at a National Championship, but the quarterback room also has to be built for what comes next. If Coleman can climb into the backup role, it would put him in position to see the field this season, especially with Miami’s talent on both sides and a schedule that doesn’t look especially daunting.
At 19, Coleman still has to get past Nickel and redshirt sophomore Judd Anderson.
Mario Cristobal said at ACC Kickoff Media Day that he feels good about where the quarterback room stands. If Mensah eventually meets first-round NFL projections and leaves after the season, Coleman entering next year as the backup would give him a clear head start in the race to start.
The transfer portal remains a possibility for Nickel and Anderson, just as it was for Emory Williams last fall.
Cristobal isn’t likely to abandon what’s already in place, and that’s part of the backdrop here. Coleman was recruited by offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Shannon Dawson, who has shown a strong eye for high school talent. Getting those players onto the field has been trickier, mostly because of the transfer portal.
Coleman may be the first one to benefit from that shift.
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