 |
| Backup QB Evan Shirreffs warms up prior to the 2016 Georgia Tech game after returning to his home state as a member of the Hurricanes. Photo/Todd Forrest |
(This is not an opinion piece and I'm not endorsing anyone for the starting job in 2017. I'm simply offering Canes fans the opportunity to get to know each candidate. I expect an open competition where the best man will earn the job and I will support the starting QB 100%.)
As Coach Richt and the the University of Miami coaching staff groom its next quarterback, here is a look at a possible replacement for Brad Kaaya, who earlier this week, announced his intentions to enter the NFL draft.
Since most Cane fans are familiar with backup Malik Rosier and heralded freshman N'Kosi Perry, I'll begin with a few of the lesser known QBs, and I've chosen the signal caller that I know better than the rest, Northeast Georgia's Evan Shirreffs.
Shirreffs, a redshirt-freshman, is a 2015 graduate and valedictorian of Jefferson High School in Jackson County, Georgia, located about 30 minutes north of Athens – so it's safe to assume he was on Richt's UGA radar despite not receiving much attention from the Dawgs.
Standing 6-5 and weighing 215 pounds, Evan is the brother of University of Connecticut starting QB, Bryant Shirreffs. Bryant began his career at North Carolina State where he was moved to fullback when the Wolfpack accepted the transfer of former Gator QB Jacoby Brissett.
While I don't know the reasons for Bryant Shirreffs transfer, I believe that Brissett's transfer and the move to running back could've had something to do with it.
Bryant, before Evan, was the starting QB at Jefferson High, although I felt Evan was the better passer of the two and had a brighter future at the next level, despite not drawing much attention from big name schools, with the exception of Miami.
But no disrespect to Bryant, he led Jefferson to its first ever State Championship in 2012 when he defeated Taylor Lamb (Appalachian State) and defending champions Calhoun.
In my opinion, Bryant was a Tim Tebow-style QB. He was a quarterback with a running back's body. Perhaps that's why NCSU was so quick to move him to FB. But I wish him the best of luck at UCONN, I watch him whenever I get the chance and I'm always rooting for him, especially being a North Georgia boy.
On the other hand, Evan is more of a Ken Dorsey-type QB. He is an extremely accurate passer and while he doesn't have the strongest of arms, he is a surgeon in the passing game. It also doesn't hurt that he has a 4.0 GPA and could've attended his Ivy League school-of-choice.
Even minor comparisons to Ken Dorsey will win the hearts of Canes fans because we're so desperate for another winner, but does he have the intangibles that made KD a University of Miami legend? That would be nice, but only time will tell.
With Bryant Shirreffs in Raleigh, NC and Evan taking over behind center as a high school junior in 2013, the Dragons remained poised for a return trip to the Georgia Dome where they would defend their Class AA State title.
However, in early October, Evan Shirreffs suffered a serious thumb injury in a 21-14 loss at Washington-Wilkes High School, preventing the Dragons from repeating as region champs.
The injury, which required surgery, sidelined him until the second round of the playoffs, forcing Jefferson to move its deadliest deep-threat wide receiver to QB to fill in for Shirreffs.
After a blowout victory in round one of the state playoffs, the Dragons were on the road at Region 5-AA Champion Heard County, where Shirreffs was cleared for action but didn't get the start.
With less than 8 minutes remaining in the game, Jefferson found itself trailing by 10 points and with the season on the line, first-year head coach Ben Hall turned to Shirreffs. Although he hadn't played a single snap since game five, Shirreffs engineered back-to-back scoring drives to lead his squad to a four-point victory.
With his team in hurry-up mode, the deadly accurate right arm of Evan Shirreffs moved his team downfield inside the 10-yard line where the Dragons scored on a 9-yard run.
After the defense forced a turnover on downs, Evan had less than 2 minutes to work with, but as it turned out, he only needed half of that.
With 1:06 to play, he connected on a 9-yard scoring strike to put his team on top. The defense kept the Braves out of the endzone on the ensuing drive, and while that was Jefferson's final win of the season, his heroics in the second round, forever cemented his legacy in Northeast Georgia, proving he was more than just Bryant's little brother.
In the offseason, Jefferson was the victim of reclassification and moved from Class AA to AAA, yet Shirreffs didn't miss a beat. He went on to throw for 2,638 yards and 23 TDs on the season. What makes his numbers even more impressive is the fact he wasn't needed during the second half of the majority of games due to lopsided scores.
Jefferson finished its regular season undefeated while Shirreffs continued to shine while the spotlight was the brightest. In the regular season finale (with a region title on the line), then in his three playoff games, Shirreffs threw for 200-plus yards in each one while only tossing one pick over those final four contests.
The Dragons would finish 2014 with a 12-1 record, a region championship and a State Quarterfinal appearance.
In early 2015, Shirreffs led Team Georgia to its first-ever victory, 26-14 over Team Florida in the Florida-Georgia all-star game where Shirreffs was named MVP after throwing for 242 yards and a score.
That performance caught the attention of then-Miami offensive coordinator James Coley.
Evan visited Coral Gables in January where he was offered a roster spot as a preferred walk-on. Then National Signing Day came and went without a scholarship offer from the Canes. But when he received offers from Old Dominion and Eastern Michigan, The U changed its mind and Coley made a phone call to Shirreffs, but he didn't pick up.
Coley tried again. Still no answer.
“After I finished working out, I checked my phone and I had a couple of missed calls from Miami” Shirreffs told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2015. “The next time they called was 10 minutes later. Miami offered, so I committed on the spot.”
Shirreffs was redshirted during his freshman season under Head Coach Al Golden. Then in October, Golden was canned following a 58-0 loss to Clemson. In December, Miami replaced Golden with one of it's own, and someone the Georgia-native was familiar with, ex-UGA Head Coach Mark Richt, a former Miami QB under Coach Howard Schnellenberger.
While he didn't receive any serious consideration from Richt's staff in Athens, it didn't take Shirreffs long to make an impression on the new staff.
In an August 2016 article by Peter Ariz for CanesInSight, Quarterbacks Coach Jon Richt called Shirreffs the “most athletic” of the Miami quarterbacks while “multiple players and coaches have noted that he has a complete understanding of the playbook.”
It was also mentioned that Shirreffs was dealing with another hand injury which “hampered” him during camp. “Although Shirreffs does not have the strongest of arms, the hand issue could be a reason for his lack of consistency,” according to Ariz.
When asked what Shirreffs could do to earn the backup QB job, Jon Richt answered, “He just needs to keep taking the reps and knowing what to do and hit his target when it presents itself. The accuracy will go a long way.”
In an article by Cameron Underwood for SB Nation: State of The U, Underwood made his case for Shirreffs as Kaaya's backup, “(Shirreffs) is a smart player who can diagnose defenses and make quick decisions. The quick and timing passing games...is a perfect fit for Shirreffs. Meanwhile, Rosier struggled with these concepts... after Richt was hired.”
Underwood called him, “arguably, the most accurate passer I've ever seen, and he's reportedly added velocity to his throws through his redshirt year.”
Each of the backups struggled in last year's spring game with Rosier completing 2-of-6 for 27 yards, Shirreffs was 1-for-5, 11 yards and a pick, while Vincent Testaverde Jr. went 1-of-6 for 4 yards.
In the first scrimmage of fall camp, each of the backups showed improvement with Shirreffs completing 3-of-5 for 16 yards while Testaverde was a perfect 3-of-3 for 62 yards. The second scrimmage saw Shirreffs connect on 2-of-3 passes for 4 yards, while rushing for 22 yards on 3 carries. Testaverde was 4-for-8 for 42 yards and 6 rushing yards; freshman Jack Allison struggled – not completing a pass in an 0-for-6, 1 interception outing, finally Rosier was 3-for-7 for 19 yards and a score. He also ran twice for 22 yards.
Shirreffs made his college debut on Miami's final offensive series of a 70-3 shellacking of FAMU in the 2016 season opener (two handoffs and a third down pitch to freshman Travis Homer).
According to Underwood, “While some saw Shirreffs, a severely under recruited player, as just filler, I think he has the skills and intellect to be a factor in the QB race in future years.”
No comments:
Post a Comment