Miami QB Announces Transfer Portal Destination After Championship Loss

The Miami Hurricanes fell just short of their national championship goals on Monday night, suffering a 27-21 defeat at the hands of the Indiana Hoosiers.

Miami exceeded College Football Playoff expectations, making a run to the national championship game despite entering the postseason as the bracket’s No. 10 seed. Mario Cristobal and the Hurricanes notched upset victories over the No. 7 seed Texas A&M Aggies, No. 2 seed Ohio State Buckeyes and No. 6 seed Ole Miss Rebels en route to this year’s title game.

Just one day after Monday’s championship loss, Miami’s backup quarterback Emory Williams announced his entrance into the 2026 NCAA transfer portal.

Williams made his transfer portal decision official on Wednesday, announcing his commitment to play for the East Carolina Pirates next college football season.

“Welcome to Pirate Nation,” East Carolina wrote in a joint announcement with Williams on Instagram.

Williams joins the Pirates with two seasons of remaining eligibility.

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Williams, a Florida native, joined Miami as a three-star recruit in the 2023 class. He appeared in 12 games for the Hurricanes, completing 62.9% of his pass attempts for 813 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions.

Williams made two starts for Miami during his true-freshman season in 2023, notching a 1-1 record. The young QB led the Hurricanes to a double-overtime win over the Clemson Tigers, and a 27-20 loss against the then-No. 4 ranked Florida State Seminoles.

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Williams appeared in just five games as Carson Beck’s primary backup in 2025, completing 13 of his 19 pass attempts for 156 yards.

Beck’s collegiate eligibility is up, meaning Williams could have competed for Miami’s No. 1 quarterback spot in 2026. But now, it appears the Hurricanes will go back to the transfer portal to find their next starting signal caller.