You know that nagging feeling you've seen something before, like a new TV show you're watching is just a retread of something you were excited about years ago? That's the vibe with the 2024 spring transfer portal quarterback market. You know the names. They were former top recruits. But haven't you seen them before? Yes, yes you have.
Jacolby Criswell (Arkansas), Nick Evers (Wisconsin) and Christian Veilleux (Pittsburgh) are all former blue-chip recruits. Now they're each searching for a starting job at their third program.
UCF's Timmy McClain? He showed some promise as a starter for USF back in 2021. But he's trying to reset at school No. 3, too.
Those players might be good elsewhere. But they're not on par with the barrage of interesting quarterback transfers we saw in the winter window.
That's why Miami transfer Jacurri Brown -- a four-star prospect in the 2022 class - is such a breath of fresh air for the quarterback market. Both the known and unknown quantities of his game are intriguing.
The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Georgia native is everything you'd want from a size perspective. He's also a dynamic runner who posted a 4.6-second 40-yard dash in high school.
Throw in impressive arm strength with an ability to throw off-platform and it's easy to understand why 247Sports ranked him as the No. 16 quarterback in the 2022 class despite his lack of development and polish. Those qualities remain enticing two years later now that he's in the portal.
The known qualities are also intriguing. Brown played a decent amount in the last two seasons for an underclassman. He started two games as a true freshman and also started Miami's bowl game this past year.
The numbers were encouraging, to a degree. He completed 61.8% of his passes for 411 yards and four touchdowns to go along with 278 rushing yards on 4.1 yards per carry. Were there some concerns about those appearances? Of course. If there weren't, Miami wouldn't have brought in Cam Ward.
Four interceptions across three starts isn't ideal. But he didn't put the ball in danger all that often, with a 2.9% turnover-worthy throw rate, according to Pro Football Focus. That is less than Miami starter Tyler Van Dyke's 3.5% last year. The decision-making also improved from Brown's freshman (3.1 TWT) to sophomore campaigns.
Miami didn't want to lose Brown. The staff wanted to stash him for 2024. The Hurricanes talked him out of leaving in the winter window, but with Ward, Emory Williams -- who threw 71 passes as a true freshman -- and Albany transfer Reese Poffenbarger, the room got a little too crowded for Brown.
So he entered the portal, where he's a singular presence this window -- so far, at least.
In the right situation, Brown could easily start for a power conference team next season. He'd thrive in an RPO-based system. I'd expect quarterback-needy schools like Northwestern and UCLA to at least take a long look.
There's also long-term potential with Brown. A contender -- or a team in need of a high-upside backup -- could stash him for a year with the hope he emerges as a stater in 2025.
Schools like Georgia or Clemson would benefit from adding Brown to their rooms. He might not start this year. But he could certainly add juice to a 2025 QB battle in Athens or push Cade Klubnik if he struggles.
And you can't tell me an Iowa or Utah wouldn't benefit from a high-upside backup with their injury-risk starters.
Possibilities abound for what Brown could be, which makes him such an exciting addition to the transfer quarterback market. He can be a lot of things to a lot of teams.
