As Miami gears up for the biggest game of its season - a shot at the College Football Playoff national title - there’s another storyline quietly brewing behind the scenes. While all eyes are on the Hurricanes’ clash with Indiana, the quarterback room in Coral Gables could be on the verge of a significant shake-up.
The Hurricanes are actively working to secure Darian Mensah through the transfer portal, and if that deal goes through, it could mark the end of Emory Williams’ time in orange and green. Williams, who joined Miami in 2023, has been a steady presence in the program, but the writing on the wall is getting harder to ignore.
According to reports, Miami is already bracing for the likelihood that Williams will enter the portal following Monday’s national championship game. One American Athletic Conference program is reportedly eyeing him as a potential starter - a move that would make sense given his desire for playing time and the logjam ahead of him on the depth chart.
This isn’t a case of a player running from competition. It’s about opportunity.
Williams had his sights set on competing for the starting job in 2025, but that path has gotten increasingly crowded. First came Cam Ward.
Then Carson Beck, who has Miami on the doorstep of a national title. Now, potentially, Darian Mensah.
That’s three high-profile transfers in three years, each brought in to run the show.
Given that trend, it’s hard to envision a scenario where Williams sticks around and waits his turn. He’s a talented quarterback who wants to lead a team, not just hold a clipboard. And if Miami does land Mensah, the decision to move on becomes less of a surprise and more of an inevitability.
For now, though, Williams remains a Hurricane - and he’s got one more game to suit up for. And what a game it is: the national championship against Fernando Mendoza and Indiana. It’s the biggest stage of his college career, and even if he’s not the one taking snaps, he’ll be there on the sideline, part of a team chasing history.
What happens after Monday is still to be determined. But if Williams decides to seek a new opportunity elsewhere, it’ll be with the understanding that he gave everything he had to Miami. Sometimes, the best move for a player’s growth is a fresh start - and that moment could be coming soon.