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Would you start Nickel and aim for 7-8 wins?

MumbleRap said:
Mario needs to win, idk why y’all keep wanting to give him a pass. Once again, idc if Lou Cristobal is Mario’s QB next year…. The expectations are the same. Year 4, no less than 9 wins. 7 or less is fireable.
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Theres are a lot of folks who are more Mario fans than hurricane fans. Don’t believe me look at the boosters who are finally invested into the football team
 
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7 tops. We are doing it again, building up a savior...

He looks a decent prospect who needs a year (not a generational 5 start/ elite talent).
 
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ageezy said:
we gone get somebody ... i actually the washington state qb as a last option
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I understand that the bleeding vagjnas have to cry about something but Miami has a lot of money to spend, a really good returning offensive line and run game and a lot of young talent at receiver. It’s a good place for a guy looking to improve his draft projection. Cam Ward literally went from a day 3 guy to a possible #1 overall by coming here. Most of the people here had no idea who Cam was before last off season


I wasn’t as high on Mateer as others were. Another guy nobody knew about until the season ended and he became John Elway. He’s very much a one read and run guy as opposed to Cam who would go through his progressions probably too much. We would have to run a different offense with him. He could still be effective but he’s not as good of a passer as his stats indicate. WSU essentially played a Mountain West schedule.
 
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This is crazy. Anyone think UGA, Oregon, Ohio State - pick your program - says we’re gonna take our lumps this year breaking in a true freshman QB? Competent programs never get themselves in a situation like that.
 
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NZ Cane said:
7 tops. We are doing it again, building up a savior...

He looks a decent prospect who needs a year (not a generational 5 start/ elite talent).
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Needs a year under most staffs. Mario would need him developed 4 years elsewhere, then hope for the best.

I swear, I have NEVER seen a staff bubble wrap an O for a QB more than they have for Emory every game against anyone with a pulse. Meanwhile, I turn on my TV every weekend and see a true freshman QB tearing it up. Miami? Nah. We don't have confidence in any QB we recruit.

As for me, I have no confidence that this staff would let Nickel sling it. They'd probably bubble wrap the O for him as well.
 
If Mario had actually won something here this year and wasn't being paid 8 million per year, I would accept a rebuild year in 2025. If he goes 6-6 or worse next year, he needs to be terminated.
 
Hoyacane1620 said:


this guy does not like Miami. But what he says is not a lie.

From the ON3 article by Ari Wasserman....

Late in Saturday’s Pop-Tarts Bowl, after Iowa State took a one-point lead over Miami, the cameraman from the broadcast panned over to Cam Ward throwing the football on the sideline. Miami’s starting quarterback, who hadn’t played at all during the second half after shredding the Cyclones in the first half, had the look in his eye like he was about to go back into the game and get the Hurricanes one final win before heading off to the NFL.

Ward didn’t come back into the game, which felt like a disappointment. But there was good news. Backup quarterback Emory Williams, who played the entire second half and currently seems to be Ward’s heir apparent, had the opportunity to lead Miami to a game-winning field goal attempt.

Had Williams been successful, he would have sent Miami into a critical offseason feeling a little better about its future at the quarterback position. But Williams only got Miami to its own 40 yard-line, throwing an interception in the game’s closing moments.

Which leaves us with some questions about Miami.

1. Can the Hurricanes really go into next season with Williams leading the way?

2. Can a program be successful long-term by continually renting quarterbacks out of the portal?

3. Is Miami the cautionary tale of what happens to a program that’s overly reliant on finding its quarterback in the transfer portal?

Though there has been a lot of discussion about Ward and the decision that went into sitting out of the second-half of the game — after, of course, he captured the NCAA record for most career passing yards — that’s not what’s important for Miami. Ward didn’t even have to play in the game at all, so getting wound up about the decision to sit in the second half — his or otherwise — seems like a waste of time. That’s especially true given Miami had to get a look who is seemingly taking the reigns at quarterback next season.

That closer look at Williams didn’t inspire a lot of confidence. Williams does have some experience at Miami — replacing former quarterback Tyler Van Dyke in some critical moments in the past — but this Miami program, headed into year four under Mario Cristobal, is at a critical juncture. Next year is supposed to be the year Miami breaks through, wins the ACC and makes the College Football Playoff.

Williams doesn’t seem to be good enough to get Miami where it wants to go.

That’s not Williams’ fault. It’s Cristobal’s.

Though Miami had been really successful in the acquisition of Ward — we know now that the Washington State transfer carried the Hurricanes all season to the brink of the ACC title game and beyond — how is it possible they are in the position now, this deep into Cristobal’s tenure, where it either lands a top-tier transfer quarterback or are in deep trouble?

Miami made a run at Washington State transfer John Mateer. It felt really good about its chances of landing perhaps the best transfer of this portal cycle, especially because it had Ward’s success as proof of concept and presumably a fat check to write. But Mateer followed his offensive coordinator from Wazzu, Ben Arbuckle, to Oklahoma. Believe it or not, Oklahoma was just as motivated monetarily to find a quarterback to rescue the program.

Now Miami seems out of options. Unless a quarterback falls out of the sky — cough, Quinn Ewers — what will the Hurricanes do? Go into the offseason with Williams leading the way? Hope that true freshman quarterback Luke Nickel, a four-star prospect of Alpharetta (Ga.) Milton in the 2025 class, is ready to play immediately? How did Cristobal get this far into his Miami tenure without singing a bonafide blue-chip quarterback ready to play.

It makes me think of Notre Dame and how it has handled its transfer quarterback position. Like Miami, it has been very reliant on transfers quarterbacks. Last year, Notre Dame had Wake Forest transfer Sam Hartman. This year, the Irish have ridden Duke quarterback transfer Riley Leonard all the way to the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.

But next year? Marcus Freeman is seemingly about to hand the keys over to former five-star quarterback CJ Carr, an elite-level prospect from the 2024 class who has been in the program developing. That gives Notre Dame the option of either finding someone it perceives as better in the portal or falling back on the kid. Either way, Notre Dame has options. Freeman did it right.

Miami doesn’t have any options. In the 2023 recruiting cycle, Cristobal signed Williams out of Milton (Fla.) High, the No. 627 overall player in the On3 Industry rankings in his class. In 2024, Cristobal got Judd Anderson of Warner Robins (Ga.) High, the No. 613 overall player. And in 2025, Cristobal finally got a blue-chipper in Nickel, but the damage is already done. It’s time for Miami to starting tampering its tail off, which is me only partially kidding.

Because who could conceivably come into the portal now? People are speculating that Ewers may after his CFP run because he seems in between ready for the NFL and not welcome back to Texas with Arch Manning waiting in the wings for his turn. But if not Ewers, who else? It’s been a pretty dry portal season, which is why Miami finds itself in this positon.

Sure, the portal can provide greatness. Ward was a Heisman Trophy finalist this year. It’s a great tool.

But it’s not predictable enough to be relied upon. That’s why coaches have to try and sign the best possible high school quarterback it can in every class, regardless of what it feels the program may be able to command in the portal given spending power.

The story isn’t written for Miami. If we’ve learned anything about college football, it’s unpredictable and shocking roster movement happens all the time. Maybe it’ll work out for Miami in 2025. Maybe a quarterback will fall out of the sky in the spring portal window.

Had Cristobal recruited an elite-level quarterback prospect during any of his first few cycles, though, Miami wouldn’t have to sweat heading into the offseason.
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Wild that less than 2 years ago we were saying what good shape the Quarterback room was with TVD, Jake Garcia and Jacurri Brown. My how quickly things change.
 
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ThomasM said:
Needs a year under most staffs. Mario would need him developed 4 years elsewhere, then hope for the best.

I swear, I have NEVER seen a staff bubble wrap an O for a QB more than they have for Emory every game against anyone with a pulse. Meanwhile, I turn on my TV every weekend and see a true freshman QB tearing it up. Miami? Nah. We don't have confidence in any QB we recruit.

As for me, I have no confidence that this staff would let Nickel sling it. They'd probably bubble wrap the O for him as well.
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Very True.

We would play some Mario ball, try to run it 80 times and have him throw 7 screens...
 
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Calinative said:
I mean it seems clear Nickel is more talented.

I really don't know why people are acting like it is so crazy for true freshman to start. Happens all the time, especially with all the QBs that everyone wants us to grab in the portal. I'm sure he will have moments he really struggles. That should be expected. But A) we would be saving at least $2-3M that can then be used on other positions in spring portal to surround him with more talent. And B) the next 2 years (2026-2027) if Nickel showed potential in 2025 we could really be cooking...

My 1 worry would be that I think Dawson wants a HC job next yr and it would definitely be annoying to go to a new OC after Nickel started his first year. **** Dawson could try to take Nickel with him. (If he performs well I'm sure Dawson would try!).
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I was at the game in Louisville on Labor Day night when a way higher rated QB in Brad Kaaya as a true freshman stunk up the place

I don’t ever want to see a true freshman starting any game.
 
Memnon said:
I think we'd go 8-4 regular season with Nickel with a chance to win 9 depending on who we play in a Bowl game.

IF we can't entice a big time starter to come here before Spring camp, then I'd be good with rolling with the Jefferson coin.

We wouldn't win 7 games with Emory at QB, even with a fixed Defense & a stacked roster, we'd AT BEST be a 4 win team with Emory.

Which is why I was so vehement in the idea even being pitched at him being the guy for next year.

But from now until the start of Spring Camp, Mario needs to scour the Earth for any QB with prerequisite arm talent that he can find.
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State media gonna hate you
 
SinisterCane said:
Theres are a lot of folks who are more Mario fans than hurricane fans. Don’t believe me look at the boosters who are finally invested into the football team
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I think this also is a pride thing. Those main boosters pushed Manny out and shoved Mario in… it’s the “I’ll spend more NOT to be wrong”
 
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