Miami Hurricanes Spring Coming to a Close

Spring practice is winding down for the Miami Hurricanes as question marks surround the team.

The Hurricanes final practice will take place Thursday. Due to renovations to Hard Rock Stadium, their third and final scrimmage will be at Boca Raton high school on Saturday. Boca Raton is Miami head coach, Mark Richt’s alma mater.

The spring season continues…

Watch highlights of today's scrimmage ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/65P6OJq8Ms

— Canes Football (@CanesFootball) April 15, 2017

Quarterback Battle

Three quarterbacks are vying for the vacant spot at quarterback left by standout Brad Kaaya, who will be in next week’s NFL Draft.

6-foot-5, 216-pound redshirt sophomore, Evan Shirreffs, appears to be the front-runner. Shirreffs has taken first reps in the spring practices and scrimmages. In his first season at Miami, Shirreffs redshirted, then spent his sophomore year as a member of the practice squad.

Malik Rosier and son of former FSU quarterback and heisman runner-up (Casey Weldon), Cade Weldon are among the two others fighting for the job.

Perhaps the most intriguing candidate is someone not on campus yet — N’Kosi Perry. Perry is an incoming freshman who will be in Miami following his high school graduation. He is a dual threat quarterback that can evade the pressure and throw a long bomb downfield. Perry has drawn comparisons to players like Lamar Jackson, and Richt has even thrown around names like Heisman trophy winner, Charlie Ward, in the same sentence.

Richt has made it clear that the quarterback competition is not close to being over.

Mark Walton

Junior running back Mark Walton is visibly frustrated with his role in the spring. Walton is calling it a “blocking diet”. Richt is emphasizing the play of the quarterbacks more than the running backs. This is most likely the reason for Walton’s “blocking diet” in spring practices and scrimmages.

Walton led the team in rushing with 1,117 yards and 14 touchdowns. In total, the running back scored 15 touchdowns, making him third in Miami Hurricanes history for a single season.

Walton even weighed in on the quarterback situation, stating that Malik Rosier and Evan Shirreffs are leading the race.