Miami football eyeing Malachi Nelson, KJ Jefferson amid Cameron Ward’s NFL decision

With Cam Ward already declaring for the 2024 NFL Draft, Miami football will have to take his name out of their list of potential starting quarterbacks in the next season. The Hurricanes also reportedly are in talks with other quarterbacks who entered the transfer portal in KJ Jefferson and Malachi Nelson, according to Pete Thamel of ESPN.

Miami football is still in search 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 along with 12 interceptions in the 2023 college football season, is now with the Wisconsin Badgers. With Van Dyke at the helm of Miami’s offense 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 racked up 7,911 passing yards and 67 passing touchdowns with 18 interceptions on a 65.1 percent completion rate. He also rushed for 1,876 yards and 21 touchdowns on 523 carries in an Arkansas football uniform.

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 looking to compete for the starting gig for the Trojans in 2024 with Caleb Williams expected to turn pro, Nelson opted to test the waters of the college’s version of free agency.