CaneSport Roundtable: Who will be the No. 2 QB behind Cam Ward, and will that be an indication of the starting QB in 2025?

The Miami Hurricanes have a star quarterback in senior Washington State transfer Cam Ward. But as we’ve seen in recent seasons, sometimes the backup QB is called upon for a start here or there based on injury … and if that hypothetical situation arises it would be very interesting to see which quarterback Miami coaches rely upon.

As things stand right now the competition to be the backup is the same as the competition to be the starter in 2025, with Albany transfer Reese Poffenbarger and second-year QB Emory Williams the main guys.

The only other QB on the roster is true freshman Judd Anderson, and while he perhaps will be ready to compete to start in 2025 it’s unlikely he would be the No. 2 guy this season.

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Without further ado, let’s get the thoughts of the CaneSport staff on who will emerge as the next QB option after Ward this season … which can also offer some insight into the battle to start in 2025 (we also aren’t using redshirts as a rationale since Williams can play four games while still redshirting and our hypothetical would be if Ward misses just a game or two this season).

So who will be the No. 2 QB in 2024 … and is that an indication of who will be the starting quarterback in 2025?

GARY FERMAN

There is no doubt in my mind going into fall camp that Reese Poffenbarger will be the backup quarterback this season because it makes sense for so many reasons. It is obvious that coaches Mario Cristobal and Shannon Dawson felt they needed a more seasoned quarterback heading into the season when they went after Poffenbarger in the transfer portal. At that point it didn’t look like Cam Ward was coming. Poffenbarger was recruited to start. Emory Williams, coming off an injury at FSU last season, was adequate as a starter on an average team last year, beating Clemson at home while losing at FSU, but Miami is not looking to be average this season. So if something were to sideline Ward, it seems like common sense to assume Poffenbarger would be the next man up. I am a big Emory Williams believer, but the presence of the more experienced Poffenbarger will allow Williams to develop at a good pace without the pressure of starting while also remaining available to play in four games this year. This is not a negative situation for him at all and I am glad he did not flee to the transfer portal himself. The competition next spring will be legit, and if Williams is able to take on all comers and prove he is the best guy at that point, then I have zero doubts the coaches would be willing to give him the nod. I’m not even going to go into the NIL ramifications here that are complex because of the expectation that Poffenbarger would be a starter, which obviously came at a higher price tag than a backup. But it all leads to Poffenbarger as QB2 this season with it having absolutely nothing to do with what happens in 2025 as Williams is absolutely on track to potentially start at Miami for multiple seasons regardless of what happens in 2025.

MATT SHODELL

Miami brought in Reese Poffenbarger to be the starter this year before Cam Ward changed his mind on turning pro, which speaks volumes to how coaches viewed the readiness of Emory Williams to be the starter this season. Williams looked okay last year in a start and win over Clemson (24 of 33 completions for 151 yards with a TD) but struggled starting in the loss to FSU (eight of 23 passing). In both games the passing offense was very limited, as you might imagine with a true freshman starting – he only threw 10 passes that went 20 or more yards through the air out of his 71 attempts. With that said, Williams now has that experience under his belt and looked good this spring. Poffenbarger? He might not look like an NFL QB at 6-0, but he’s a dual threat with good arm strength and accuracy. And he has run an offense at a high level for multiple years, albeit at a lower level with Albany. Still, his FCS-best 3,603 passing yards on 58.7 percent completions last year along with 36 TDs and 13 INTs (plus running in five more scores) is impressive. My feeling is that Poffenbarger will be the primary backup QB this season … and will be the guy that coaches lean on first if there is a guy that needs to start a game and his name isn’t “Ward.” Poffenbarger looked like he had a clean grasp of the offense this spring and coaches count on his veteran experience. The fact that Williams ran such a constrained offense last year and was the No. 3 QB all spring tells you a lot. He just isn’t quite ready. Still, it will make for a very interesting battle in 2025 as Williams has NFL size (five inches taller than Poffenbarger, listed at 6-5), but Poffenbarger seems to have that “it” factor as a solid college QB in the same vein as a D’Eriq King. As for if the No. 2 guy at QB this season will be the starter in 2025? I actually think while Poffenbarger will be the backup this year that it will be Williams or a new transfer portal addition that starts in 2025. I hope you come back and read this column when that time comes to declare me right. I just think given Williams’ prototypical NFL size, arm strength and accuracy that he can win the job with more seasoning. His growth potential is more as a young guy than someone like Poffenbarger who has probably already hit his ceiling as a veteran guy in college.

IZUBEE CHARLES

This is a no-brainer in my opinion, and Cam Ward’s backup this upcoming season will be Reese Poffenbarger, who would’ve been Miami’s starter if Ward had decided to stick with his decision and head to the NFL. While there may be some room to argue that Emory Williams should be in that backup role, coming off a significant injury that he sustained against FSU and, in my opinion, his okay play in his starts against Clemson and Florida State, I think Poffenbarger has to be the guy. He’s more polished than Williams is, and I think he brings more to the table with what he can do with his legs as well. I’m not trying to downplay Williams by any means, but I do think Poffenbarger is the clear-cut No. 2 quarterback in my eyes unless something drastic happens during fall camp. With that being said, I do not think this will indicate who the starting quarterback will be in 2025 due to the ever-changing landscape of college football with the transfer portal and teams always looking to bolster their rosters.

STEPHEN WAGNER

I was extremely disappointed with Poffenbarger’s performance at the spring game and wasn’t overly impressed with his tape at Albany last fall, although he offers athleticism no one else in the quarterback room really has. Still, I think Emory Williams’ accuracy and ability to *not* screw it up makes him the obvious No. 2 option now that he has real starting experience under his belt, especially playing behind an offensive line we expect to take another step forward this fall. No, he’s not nearly as mobile or athletic as Poffenbarger, but he’s still shown a willingness to put his body on the line in do-or-die situations (i.e. Florida State last fall), has a great understanding when to throw it away or take a sack and live to fight another down. He also sees the field fairly well and isn’t afraid to take consistent short gains if it means he keeps the sticks moving, and he largely avoids the horrible mistake. Maybe Judd Anderson can progress to the point this fall where he can compete for the backup role too, but right now, I want Williams as my QB2.

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