Miami Losses Potential Starting Quarterback to the Transfer Portal, Who is Next?
The Miami Hurricanes are focused on the 2026 College football season but they still don’t have a starting quarterback for the hopeful College Football Playoff team.
The Hurricanes backup quarterback Emory Williams has now hit the transfer portal after the heartbreaking loss No. 1 Indiana.
During spring practice, Williams knew that he had to learn and regroup to get his chance to start again for the Hurricanes. He believed that learning under Carson Beck would be his best chance at getting to that spot.
“Really, learning from Carson has helped me a lot,” Williams said. “I think in the spring, he was a big help to me. He’s just kind of seeing what it looks like to understand the level from an NFL guy. You know, especially in an NFL pocket passer. That’s really helped me out.
It’s also giving me some insight and some things I need to work on, you know, and the anticipation I need to play better with my physical body needs to improve my speed, all that needs to improve, and I think I know that this summer I’ve done a great job of hitting all those and knocking all those things out.”
Williams continued.
“It’s a learning opportunity,” Williams said. “You know, this was what it was. It was a bit of a wake-up call, too. You see that and then you realize, ‘Okay, I have things I need to work on.’ And at the end of the day, all you can control is how you get better, you know, and how you work. And I think you need that. Sometimes you need, sometimes you might think you’re ready, you might think you’re good. But then, really you need you need something to wake you up. And I’m truly blessed to have both those guys come in and to learn from them and see what it looks like to be at the top of the food chain, the quarterback position. That’s giving me perspective, and I’ very grateful for it.”
Now, Williams will take his talents elsewhere, with East Carolina leading the charge to get the talented quarterback out of the portal. The Canes now look towards their next starting quarterback, who is currently being sued by Duke.
The Darian Mensah Saga
After whiffing on two transfer portal quarterbacks, Mario Cristobal and the Hurricanes went back to the well that worked last season for star cornerback Xavier Lucas. Star Duke quarterback Darian Mensah has attempted to enter the transfer portal, but thanks to a pre-existing NIL deal he signed with Duke a season ago, he is not being sued to stay and play for the program.
“In July 2025 Mensah signed a multi-year contract with Duke University that ends on December 31, 2026, and which provides Duke a number of rights, including exclusive rights throughout the term to Mensah’s name, image and likeness (“NIL) with respect to higher education and football,” the filed suit read in part. “Duke University has met all of its obligations under that contract. As recently as December 2025, Mensah affirmed his commitment to Duke University. Then, a few hours before the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) deadline for student-athletes in football to initiate notification of transfer (Colloquially, entering the ‘transfer portal), Mensah reversed …”
The Hurricanes will attempt to wiggle out of this lawsuit, similar to the one with Wisconsin and the Big 10 with Lucas. If they do, they will have their starting quarterback.
If not, they will have to look to a room with a redshirt-freshman, Luke Nickel, and freshman Dereon Coleman to lead the charge.
Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University and is the site lead for the Miami Hurricanes on SI. He can be reached at Twitter @Justice_News5.
