Miami Hurricanes 50-1 Countdown: Ranking the top 50 post-spring players … No. 34 Emory Williams
The Miami Hurricanes have massively reshaped the roster from a year ago with five primary offensive starters gone (QB Tyler Van Dyke, RB Henry Parrish, WR Colbie Young, OL Javion Cohen and Matt Lee) along with seven on the defensive side (DT Leonard Taylor, DT Branson Deen, DL Jared Harrison-Hunte, S Kam Kinchens, S James Williams, CB Jaden Davis and CB Te’Cory Couch).
50. RB JORDAN LYLE … 49. RB CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON … 48. DE COLE MCCONATHY … 47. S ZAQUAN PATTERSON … 46. TE CAM MCCORMICK … 45. NY CARR … 44. JUSTIN SCOTT … 43. OT Markel Bell … 42. RB AJAY ALLEN … 41. TE RILEY WILLIAMS … 40. OL MATTHEW MCCOY … 39. LB CAM PRUITT … 38. DT JOSHUA HORTON … 37. LB RAUL AGUIRRE … 36. S MARKEITH WILLIAMS … 35. S JADEN HARRIS
Which brings us to our annual series breaking down the top 50 players on the current roster. As we go along on this list you’ll get an idea of the overall depth of talent on Mario Cristobal’s team this year as he seeks Miami’s second 10-win season in the last two decades.
Today we are at No. 34:
NO. 34 QB EMORY WILLIAMS
Why He’s No. 34
Williams was thrust into action as a true freshman, first when Tyler Van Dyke was hurt and then when he was struggling. Williams wound up starting two games, against Clemon (a win) and Florida State (a loss). He suffered a broken arm reaching for a first down on the final drive vs. FSU with Miami down a touchdown but was back in action this spring and looked none the worse for wear. With that said, it’s possible Williams will use his available redshirt this year given the arrival of Cam Ward and with Albany’s Reese Poffenbarger on board. Williams will be set up to compete with Poffenbarger along with Judd Anderson as the returning QBs in 2025 after Ward is gone. Williams arrived at Miami as an underrated 3-star out of Milton, Fla., and against Clemson in his first-ever start he hit on 24 of 33 passes for 151 yards with a TD (in the fourth quarter, pulling Miami within three points) and interception. Williams then started over Van Dyke against Florida State and hit on just eight of 23 passes, but he wasn’t intercepted and threw two touchdowns including an 85-yarder that was perfectly placed down the right sideline to Jacolby George with 8:22 to play that pulled the Canes within seven. So he had some very bright moments considering he was just a true freshman. He graded out at a pedestrian 66.8 percent last year per Pro Football Focus in his 181 reps, and he only attempted 10 passes of 20 or more yards (completing three for 132 yards with a TD and interception). Forty-three of his 71 attempts were within nine yards of the line of scrimmage. So yes, it was a conservative approach, as you would expect with a true freshman. But he certainly has a very bright future with a strong arm and excellent accuracy.
What he needs to do to move up this list
Williams will compete to be the No. 2 QB with Poffenbarger in fall camp as a just-in-case type of deal behind Ward. This spring it was Poffenbarger mainly with the twos ahead of Williams, and while that’s likely to continue into the fall it doesn’t mean that Williams can’t win the starting job in 2025. To move up the list this year, though, Williams would need to beat out Poffenbarger and then have the opportunity to play. So most likely he’s looking at 2025 as a chance to really break out.
Realistic season objective
Williams will be looking to set himself up as the “air” apparent to Ward this fall. After all it’s a chance for both Williams and Poffenbarger to try and set themselves apart in practices and any game action in order to get a let up for what should be an intense battle to start in 2025. But more than likely Williams will be the No. 3 guy with a redshirt year available (which means he can play in four games or less).
The post Miami Hurricanes 50-1 Countdown: Ranking the top 50 post-spring players … No. 34 Emory Williams appeared first on On3.
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