Stock Up: 2023 Miami QB Recruit Emory Williams
Quarterback development has always been a major component of whether college football programs ascend to the top of the polls.
Much of that development has been about finding the right fit during recruiting, too. Certain signal callers simply do better with certain coaching philosophies and schemes compared to other styles of offenses.
Back in the 1980s and 1990s, the Miami Hurricanes did that well by bringing in the right quarterback prospects throughout the coaching tenures from Howard Schnellenberger, Jimmy Johnson, and Dennis Erickson to help build the Canes into the most dominant team in college football.
To do that, Miami signed top quarterbacks almost every year; ones that truly understood the precision passing that Miami employed at that time.
There’s now a really good opportunity for Miami’s most recent quarterback signee Emory Williams, as he fits what Miami will be operating.
Mario Cristobal hired Shannon Dawson to be his offensive coordinator. His 'qir raid' offense will be great for Williams.
It’s somewhat similar to those Miami offenses of old, as it truly works off of accuracy and getting the ball out fast -- much like the days of UM greats Vinnie Testaverde and Steve Walsh.
Here’s what Dawson helped Houston signal caller Clayton Tune become under his watchful eye. Tune has been a player that’s not all that different from Williams based on stature, style of play, and even recruiting ranking.
Coming out of Carrollton (Texas) Hebron, Tune did not gain the attention he probably should have. He was a good enough passer to make defenses pay with his right arm, and his legs hurt defenses as well. Both areas showed during his high school and college careers.
For the class of 2018, the 6-foot-2 and 200-pound quarterback was ranked as the No. 827 player in the country by the 247 Sports composite rankings. He was also placed as the 35th pro-style quarterback.
During the three seasons Tune was the main man behind center for the Cougars and Dawson was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, these were his passing statistics:
2020: 170/285, 2,048 yards, 59.6%, 15 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and 34 passing plays of 20 or more yards.
2021: 287/420, 68.3%, 3,546 yards, 30 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and 54 passing plays of 20 or more yards.
2022: 334/496, 67.3%, 4,074 yards, 40 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and 55 passing plays of 20 or more yards.
Notice the jump Tune took from 2020 through 2021? Almost nine percent higher for completion rate, he doubled his touchdowns, and increased his total number of passing plays of 20 or more yards by 20.
As noted towards the beginning of the article, it starts with accuracy in the air raid offensive system. Tune, under Dawson’s tutelage, really developed as an accurate passer. That was vital for Houston’s success.
The Cougars went 20-7 during the past two seasons, and averaged 35.9 points per game in 2021 (15th nationally), then 36.1 points per game in 2022 (16th nationally). The passing game produced 271.6 yards per game in 2021 (23rd nationally), and 314 yards per game in 2022 (8th nationally).
Combined with the understanding of how to read defenses and make big plays, Tune became one of college football’s best signal callers during the past two college football seasons.
Overall, Tune would take what a defense gave him, and pick them a part. He would also challenge teams vertically, as the passing plays of 20 or more yards showed above.
When plays broke down, he would find a seam and take off. During the 2022 season, Tune ran for 546 yards and five scores.
With coach Dawson operating the attack, the coach and quarterback adapted to allow the signal caller more chances to use his legs. Look for some of that with Dawson at Miami, too.
Keep that in mind as Dawson’s version of the air raid offense will be more versatile than some other more traditional attacks like Mike Leach was with pure pocket passers.
Dawson has shown, provided he has a quarterback capable and willing to take off, he absolutely incorporated some quarterback running plays and gave the green light to his signal caller to take off when running room was available (that point is also something to consider with Jacurri Brown, too. More on him soon.).
Moving to the comparison for Tune with Williams, the 6-foot-4 and 190-pound passer was ranked as the No. 623 player in the country by the 247 Sports composite, as well as the 33rd quarterback.
The way Williams proved himself as a junior, and then during the Elite 11 Finals just outside of Los Angeles, and then again during his senior season at Milton (Fla.) High School, he proved to be a savvy quarterback that attacked defenses much the same way Tune did.
Williams would not force the football into coverage. He found the holes in the defense and methodically moved the football down the field, if that’s the opportunity that was given.
Emory Williams has proven to be an advanced quarterback mentally, and that will aid him while working with Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson and the Air Raid.
When Williams had a matchup with his talented receiver Raymond Cottrell, he would also take deep shots with the eventual Texas A&M signee. Williams knew his personnel and adapted to it. That’s a good sign for him walking in the door with Miami.
Yes, Williams’ abilities also included taking off and gaining yardage when the defense did not expect it, much like Tune did. While a pocket passer first, Williams was quite capable of burning a defense with his legs.
From this point onward, it’s about development for Williams at Miami, just like it was with Tune at Houston.
Was Tune a great signal caller right off the bat for Houston? No. It took time as he did not truly start to hit his stride until the back half of his junior season, and then tore it up as a senior and fifth-year senior. That’s a part of the process most young college quarterbacks go through.
Now, there’s no question that Williams will need to go through the process of learning how to be a college quarterback much like Tune. The film study, countless hours of throwing with the wide receivers, and learning the overall air raid system will probably take at least a couple of seasons. That’s okay.
To get Miami back to the top of college football the quarterback position must be recruited for fit, then developed over time, just like it was for Miami in the 1980s and 1990s.
That’s what Williams will be going through with Dawson as his offensive coordinator. Also, Dawson will be Miami’s quarterbacks coach, so he’s working directly with Williams from the beginning of his college career.
All of that information led to Dawson already having a young gunslinger on the Miami campus with Williams that will be a great fit for the air raid and future offenses for the Hurricanes.
Stock up for Williams and the Canes both now, and certainly into the future.
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