Allison’s father: ‘Jack wants to play and we’re looking for a place to do that’

The signs were growing too numerous to ignore at Miami about the future of the Hurricanes’ offense with Thomas Brown as the offensive coordinator in the post-Brad Kaaya era.

As he ran read-option plays throughout the spring, Jack Allison began to realize his future may not be in Coral Cables. More than two weeks ago during a scrimmage, Allison scrambled around the right tackle when a defensive end tackled him from behind and left the quarterback with a minor AC sprain. Allison spent the next two weeks in training rooms and on the bench with time to think about his future.

“He started looking at, Man, is this the kind of offense I want to play?” said Sean Allison, Jack’s father, on Tuesday. “I think that was about 5 percent of it.”

On Tuesday, Jack Allison made his decision to transfer official. He met with head coach Mark Richt during the morning and the university announced Allison’s decision not long after.

Jack Allison could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.

The announcement ends a brief tenure with Miami for one of the most coveted quarterback prospects in Manatee County history. The former Palmetto quarterback first committed to the Hurricanes in 2014 and enrolled early at Miami for the spring semester in 2015. After redshirting during his first fall season with the Hurricanes, Allison will make his collegiate debut elsewhere.

“Jack wants to play,” Sean Allison said, “and we’re looking for a place to do that.”

Allison said 18 schools had contacted his son by noon, and his father said Jack hopes to make a decision in time to enroll for the second academic summer session at whatever school he chooses. That timetable would put him on his next campus by the end of June.

The quarterback will likely have to sit out another season before finally being able to get on the field and will have at least three seasons of eligibility at whatever school he chooses.

A four-star prospect according to 247sports.com’s composite rankings, Allison didn’t have any shortage of programs seeking his services during his career with the Tigers. Allison chose Miami over offers from Alabama, Tennessee, Missouri, South Florida and Central Florida.

Shortly before he arrived in Coral Gables, Allison became the county’s first Under Armour All-American since Southeast’s Brian Poole, now with the Falcons, played in the 2012 Under Armour All-America Game. Allison was the leading passer in the 2016 game with 83 yards and a touchdown.

“There’s a lot of schools across the country that would be perfect for Jack,” Sean Allison said.

Despite the accolades with which he joined the Hurricanes, Jack Allison was never the choice of the current coaching staff. Allison first committed to Miami when Al Golden was the head coach and never seriously wavered from his commitment when Mark Richt took over in 2015. Richt, who hadn’t recruited Allison during his time at Georgia, quickly made a strong impression on Jack and the rest of his family with his personality and experience as a quarterback for the Hurricanes.

Richt’s offense at Miami this spring, though, seems pointed to more of a read-option system than he ran with the Bulldogs. Evan Shirreffs and Malik Rosier have been named as co-No. 1s entering fall camp, and Richt said incoming freshman N’Kosi Perry will also have a shot at the job.

“It’s hard to leave Miami. Miami’s great. We love Miami and everything,” Sean Allison said of his son’s decision. “Jack’s a pro-style pocket passer. He’s not a read-option guy.

“When you spend a lot of time in practice practicing the read option, that doesn’t do Jack anything. That’s not what he should be doing. That’s not what he’s good at and you should be doing what you’re good at, and that’s what he’s going to try to do.”

This story was originally published April 25, 2017 at 8:09 PM with the headline "Allison’s father: ‘Jack wants to play and we’re looking for a place to do that’."