Dewey And Gray Arrive On Campus

Jacory Harris is gone, Stephen Morris appears to be next in line and transfer Ryan Williams will get his shot this spring, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg as Miami welcomes two more quarterback to the party – Preston Dewey and Gray Crow – both of which have enrolled early and will begin their quest to make a name for themselves at a place once referred to as Quarterback U.

“I’m going to work my butt off and make the most of every single opportunity I get,” said Crow, the 6-foot-3, 220-pound incoming freshman from Palm Harbor.

Dewey also made his sentiments clear, “I just love everything about Miami”. Also 6-foot-3 and weighing in at 205-pounds, the Austin product was coached at St. Andrews Episcopal by former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL quarterback Ty Detmer.

“He’s fired up and ready for this next chapter,” Detmer said of Dewey. “He’s a great kid and a football junkie.”

Both Dewey and Crow are pro-style quarterbacks, which hasn’t necessarily been the norm at ‘The U’ since the success of Ken Dorsey and failure of Kyle Wright. Anytime UM has truly been successful under center, it came when a prototypical drop-back-passer was calling plays.

Dewey brings more experience to the table, at 19 years old, while Crow enters college just shy of his 18th birthday. Miami is also in the running for Westminster Christian two-sport athlete David Thompson, who could join the Canes in fall if he doesn’t opt to go straight to professional baseball, a la Alex Rodriguez – also a Westminster quarterback who was close to playing both baseball and football at ‘The U’ entering the 1993 season.

Classes begin next week for the two quarterbacks, as will the conditioning process which will help that high school to college transition, leading up to the kickoff of spring football on March 6th.

As fans, you’re hesitant to get too over-hyped over the pair of three-star incoming prospects as it’s honestly been almost a decade of underachieving and failure at the quarterback position for the Canes.

Sure, Brock Berlin went 5-0 against Florida and Florida State, stringing together a 20-5 run over two seasons, but that was a different breed of Miami athletes at his disposal. How successful would Berlin have been over the past few seasons and conversely, how much brighter might Wright or Harris shone with that Berlin- or even Dorsey-level of talent?

In the post-Dorsey era, Miami simply hasn’t put it all together regarding offense, defense and special teams. A great quarterback would’ve obviously carried UM further, whereas a lesser quarterback isn’t expected to do as much when loaded at receiver, running back and sporting a turnover-creating, aggressive defense.

Entering this new phase of Miami football, head coach Al Golden obvious feels his team will only go as far as his quarterback takes him, hence the focus on Dewey, Crow, Thompson and any future greats coming down the pike next season.

“The Process” remains underway and two new pieces of the puzzle have been added. Welcome to The U Family, Dewey and Gray.

Now get busy. – C.B.

Comments

comments