Miami’s Depth Chart Battles: Quarterbacks and Wide Receivers

Posted on August 9, 2021 by Marcus Benjamin

Coral Gables, FL — Here we are in fall camp once again and optimism is on ten for the Miami Hurricanes football program.  Miami will likely be ranked in the top 25 once the AP poll is released and will be one of the favorites to win the ACC’s Coastal division. According to SportsBettingDime.com, North Carolina (+170) is the favorite to meet Clemson in the ACC title game followed by Miami (+180). So expectations are high but not as high as previous years for the Hurricanes.

But how good are they…..really?

At least we will find out quickly just how good Miami will be this season when the Canes travel to the ATL to take on the defending national champions, The Alabama Crimson Tide. How’s that for a measuring stick?

Until then, we can only speculate on just how good the Hurricanes will be. And speculate we will as the first weekend of fall camp came to a close.  Thankfully for Hurricanes fans QB 1 returns, and surprisingly without a knee brace.

The King Is Back

Any doubts of D’Eriq King starting against Alabama were erased this weekend.  The starting quarterback for the Miami Hurricanes stepped onto Greentree Field as if he was never severely injured.  King tore his ACL in the final game of the 2020 season and many questioned if he would return to the same caliber of play in 2021.  

Now in his second year under offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee, King seems refined and intentional with his every move.  


“He’s looked good the first two days,” said Lashlee in a post-practice conference.  “He hasn’t been limited in anything we feel good about where he is. I think he’s been on record as saying that the rehab process for him won’t stop all year, but he’s in a good place and we’ll just keep taking it day-to-day.”

King looked sharp with every throw during practice over the weekend.  The ball would come out quickly and with velocity from his arm. Indications suggest King will be a better thrower of the football than in the 2020 season.  

What will be tested against Alabama and others will be his mobility. More often than Canes fans would like last season, King used his legs to advance the football and move the chains but put his body in harm’s way. A true test of King’s mobility will never be seen in practice, leaving us to wonder how he will avoid the Tide engulfing him in game one. 

Stock Up/Stock Down 

Quarterbacks

The backup quarterback position is still undecided, but there seems to be some clarity as to who will emerge as the front-runner.  Jake Garcia was impressive in the spring considering he just won a Georgia state championship months prior, but Tyler Van Dyke a year ahead of Garcia, has more familiarity with the offensive system and that experience will perhaps be the difference in who wins the job.  TVD was a bit more precise with his throws and took his chances downfield when opportunities were presented.  Garcia checked down to short routes more often. 


Stock Up – Tyler Van Dyke

Stock Down – Jake Garcia

Wide Receivers

The Hurricanes wide receiver room is quite crowded.  Now, that’s a good problem to have, but tough decisions will be made to finalize the depth chart.  I can safely say Mike Harley Jr. is the clear number one receiver.  Harley caught the football with consistency and turned it upfield with determination.  

A player set on getting playing time: Xavier Restrepo.  The former St. Thomas Aquinas and Deerfield Beach product seems destined to be the next big playmaker to come out of Miami’s storied wide receiver history.  In his first season with the Hurricanes, Restrepo saw limited action, but that will likely change this season as his explosiveness in practice cannot be denied.  The second-year freshman gets open and can maneuver his way in tight spaces.  

Restrepo ended Saturday’s practice with two memorable plays. The first, on a corner route, Restrepo slipped and missed an opportunity to score as the football was just beyond his reach as he dove for the football.  Garcia would give him another chance with the next play.  This time, the ball was underthrown and Restrepo adjusted to make the catch for the score.  

I would not be surprised if Restrepo gets the start at the slot receiver once the season begins.

Stock Up – Xavier Restrepo

Dee Wiggins will be one of the receivers I believe will be fighting for playing time season.  The Miami Southridge product lacked the decisiveness to get open and missed some opportunities to catch the football and make plays.  There will be plenty of chances for Wiggins to make plays in Lashlee’s offensive, but the junior was outplayed by Restrepo and freshman Key’Shawn Smith. 

Stock Down – Dee Wiggins

Other News and Notes 

Wide receiver Jeremiah Payton, and defensive linemen Cameron Williams and Jalar Holley were omitted from the roster.  

“Cameron Williams and Jalar Holley did not meet our standards to be here,” said Head Coach Manny Diaz.  “Jeremiah is just not in a place right now where playing football is what he wants to do and we’re supporting him through that.”

Offensive lineman John Campbell and linebacker Sam Brooks were unavailable due to injuries. 

“John, unfortunately, had a pretty serious knee injury this summer so we doubted we would have him available and Sam Brooks they told me as the week goes on he should progress more and more with individuals and should be out here sometime during training camp,” said Diaz. 

Running back Don Chaney Jr. and tight end Will Mallory seemed to fully recover from injuries and practiced in full.  

“Obviously having D’Eriq myself and a couple of guys out in the spring, getting back into it, the offense is starting to roll,” said Mallory to the press post-practice.  “I guess you guys could see how dangerous we can be when we start rolling.  We just got to be more consistent and keep the course.”

Photos Courtesy of Miami Athletics

About Marcus Benjamin

Marcus Benjamin works as the senior writer and editor for FootballHotbed.com. He attended Florida A&M and Florida Memorial University completing a bachelors degree in communications in 2010. He's covered high school football in the South Florida area since 2010 for the Miami Herald, Miami Sports Tribune and ShawSports.net. He is married and lives in Fort, Lauderdale, FL.
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