Miami football evaluating Malachi Nelson, KJ Jefferson amid Cameron Ward’s NFL decision.
Miami football has alternatives.
With Cam Ward already declaring for the 2024 NFL Draft, Miami football will have to pull his name out of their list of probable starting quarterbacks in the next season. The Hurricanes also allegedly are in talks with additional quarterbacks that entered the transfer portal in KJ Jefferson and Malachi Nelson, according to Pete Thamel of ESPN.
“Source: Miami has engaged with both USC transfer Malachi Nelson and Arkansas transfer KJ Jefferson as they begin to pursue other quarterbacks in the portal and keep all options open.”
Miami football is still in quest of a quarterback following Tyler Van Dyke’s decision to enter the transfer portal. Van Dyke, who led the Hurricanes with 2,703 passing yards and 19 touchdowns and with 12 interceptions in the 2023 college football season, is currently with the Wisconsin Badgers. With Van Dyke at the helm of Miami’s attack on the field, the Hurricanes ranked 38th in the nation with 30.1 points per game and 48th with 250.4 passing yards per contest.
Jefferson spent five years in the SEC with the Arkansas Razorbacks with whom he piled up 7,911 throwing yards and 67 passing touchdowns with 18 interceptions on a 65.1 percent completion rate. He also carried for 1,876 yards and 21 touchdowns on 523 carries in an Arkansas football suit.
Nelson, on the other hand, has less experience than Jefferson, having played only one game with the USC Trojans in his freshman season in 2024. Instead of hoping to contend for the starting gig for the Trojans in 2024 with Caleb Williams anticipated to turn pro, Nelson elected to explore the waters of the college’s version of free agency.
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