Miami Making Aggressive Late Transfer Portal Push at QB: Report

When it comes to landing top quarterbacks out of the transfer portal, the Miami Hurricanes have been among the most successful programs over the past two seasons.

In 2024, Miami landed Cam Ward from Washington State. This season, Carson Beck transferred in from Georgia. Both were considered top quarterbacks in their respective portal cycles — and in both cases, neither was initially expected to end up in Coral Gables.

Ward released a video announcing he was entering the 2024 NFL Draft, only to later shock everyone by committing to Miami. Beck followed a similar path, declaring for the draft before pivoting, entering the transfer portal with a non-contact designation and quickly signing with the Hurricanes for a reported $4.3 million deal.

Both signings came late in the cycle, after most of the top quarterbacks had already committed elsewhere. Yet somehow, Miami emerged with two of the best portal quarterbacks in back-to-back seasons.

Ward led Miami to its first double-digit win season since 2017 and became a Heisman Trophy finalist. Beck is now one game away from leading the Hurricanes to their first national championship victory since 2001.

The issue in both cases, however, is that each quarterback was a one-and-done. That means Miami is once again tasked with finding a replacement under center for 2026.

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Miami Running Out of Options at Quarterback

So far, despite the success Ward and Beck brought to the program — and despite Miami playing for a national title — Mario Cristobal and his staff have struck out in the portal this cycle.

The Hurricanes pursued Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby, but he followed his girlfriend and a reported $5 million deal to Texas Tech. Arizona State’s Sam Leavitt was also a target, but he chose LSU shortly after visiting Coral Gables.

Miami even attempted to pull off another late-cycle miracle by trying to convince Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson to return to college for another season, reportedly offering $6.5 million. Simpson declined and opted for the NFL Draft.

So where does that leave the Hurricanes now?

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Miami May Be Forced to Make a Move

The deadline for players to enter the transfer portal is Friday, Jan. 16 at 11:59 p.m. CT. With time running out, CBS Sports’ Cody Nagel believes Miami could become — if it hasn’t already — extremely aggressive in its pursuit of a quarterback.

“This is not a staff content to let the board come to it,” Nagel wrote. “Miami is exploring every option, including quarterbacks not yet in the portal, with less than 72 hours remaining before the transfer window closes Friday night. Any school that currently rosters a top-20 quarterback in college football would be smart to make sure the ink is dry on their contract…”

It’s clear Miami has the financial resources to land a top quarterback. It’s also clear the program is willing to push the limits in order to do so.

That’s what makes the timing of Ohio quarterback Parker
Navarro entering the portal late on Jan. 15 particularly interesting, according to On3’s Pete Nakos. Over the past two seasons, Navarro has thrown for 5,030 yards, rushed for 2,168 yards and accounted for 60 total touchdowns.

Outside of Navarro, the remaining top-rated quarterbacks currently committed elsewhere include Oregon’s Bryson Beaver and Austin Novosad, as well as Michigan’s Jadyn Davis, according to 247Sports.

Needless to say, the options are thin.

Shane Shoemaker Shane Shoemaker is a sports journalist covering college football and the NFL for Heavy.com. His work has also appeared in The Sporting News, Athlon Sports, USA TODAY, and ClutchPoints, along with high school sports coverage for the Marion Tribune. More about Shane Shoemaker