UM football names Malik Rosier starting quarterback

The University of Miami has a starting quarterback.

Redshirt junior Malik Rosier has been named the starter to lead the Hurricanes in the 2017 home opener Sept. 2 against Bethune-Cookman.

Rosier, from Mobile, Alabama, has played in 10 games the past two seasons, his lone start now considered one of the most improbable, incredible and controversial victories in college football history: UM’s 30-27 miracle win at Duke on Oct. 31, 2015, which ended with an eight-lateral touchdown with the clock at 0:00.

Rosier, 21, will follow UM career passing-yardage record holder Brad Kaaya, who left after his junior season and is now a backup for the Detroit Lions. He beat out redshirt sophomore Evan Shirreffs, dual-threat true freshman N’Kosi Perry and true freshman Cade Weldon, who was an early enrollee and competed during the spring.

Shirreffs has been named as the No. 2 quarterback behind Rosier.

“Malik has been named the starting quarterback," Richt said in a written release distributed Tuesday morning by UM. "Evan is currently number two on the depth chart. The young guys, N'Kosi Perry and Cade Weldon, will continue to learn and compete."

After Saturday’s second scrimmage, Richt seemed please with both Rosier and Shirreffs, though Rosier had been getting mentioned first in most of his recent talks about the quarterbacks. Rosier has been the quarterback taking the first snaps since fall camp opened Aug. 1.

“Guys running good routes, quarterbacks making good decisions and accurate throws,” Richt said Saturday after the scrimmage. “Guys snatching the ball and getting yards after the catch. [Quarterbacks] hitting guys on the run instead of throwing them a ball that forces them to stumble or whatever.

“Pretty precise throwing and catching today, with the No. 1 unit especially. You had Malik and Evan really sharp – both hit almost 70 percent of their passes.”

The 6-1, 216-pound Rosier, who is athletic and fast and likes to take off and run, played in only three games last season and threw four passes, completing two. He ran twice for 65 yards and a touchdown. His previous knock is that he sometimes freelanced and didn’t do exactly what Richt had wanted. But that apparently has changed dramatically.

In 2015, Rosier played in eight games, going 29 of 57 for 338 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions.

His numbers on the road against Duke, when Kaaya had a concussion: 20 of 29 for 272 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

And his career numbers: 31 of 61 for 370 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions.

Rosier was a two-sport athlete his freshman year, playing UM baseball and football, the sport in which he received his scholarship. He quit baseball to concentrate on football in 2016.

Richt made it a point last week to tell the media that if he feels the competition is very close, he might play more than one quarterback early in the season to help determine who he thinks is more capable.

In 2001 at Georgia, Richt started redshirt freshman David Green in the opener against Arkansas State, with redshirt junior Cory Phillips rotating behind Green every two series in the first half.

Green completed his first 11 passes and after the first half, took over as the Bulldogs’ four-year quarterback starter. He eventually set the NCAA record for quarterbacks with 42 wins.

This story will be updated.

This story was originally published August 22, 2017 at 10:11 AM with the headline "UM football names Malik Rosier starting quarterback."