Cristobal, Dawson talk Hurricanes’ plan to redshirt QB Emory Williams. And more UM notes

First an injury to and then underperformance by Tyler Van Dyke last season temporarily thrust Emory Williams into a starting role as a freshman until he sustained an injury of his own against Florida State.

Barring something massively unforeseen, Williams won’t be put in that situation again this season.

With Cam Ward starting and looking like a potential Heisman Trophy candidate early in 2024 and Miami also having Albany transfer Reese Poffenbarger on the roster, the Hurricanes are planning to have Williams redshirt this season to preserve a season of eligibility.

“This was a prior agreement to prevent bigger misunderstandings,” Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal said Monday. “He’s done very well. He’s an excellent player. And you know what? We think Reese is a good player as well. He got some snaps the other day [against Florida A&M], but certainly Emory has done a really good job pushing himself, pushing his teammates, and having a very clear understanding that’s how we’ll proceed.”

Williams played in five games and made two starts as a true freshman, completing 44 of 71 passes for 470 yards and three touchdowns against one interceptions. He led Miami to a double-overtime win against Clemson in his first start. Three games later, he started against Florida State and threw two touchdowns but left late in the game with what was ultimately a season-ending arm injury as he dove trying to convert a fourth down.

Offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson said he had discussions with Williams heading into the season to make sure everyone was on the same page.

“If you can eliminate some landmines along the way with things [it makes the process easier], especially when you know it’s going to be a challenging year for a kid,” Dawson said. “If you can give them some [notice], like ‘Hey, this is what it’s going to be like,’ so that way, at least they have some understanding in the lay of the land. We had a lot of conversations early in camp and really throughout the offseason about what the plan was going to be for him. He knows exactly what the plan is. ... Emory’s handling it great. His attitude is great. He does a great job of practice. He’s had a great camp. I know that older kids are better players. It wouldn’t be very smart for me to waste a year on a kid with his talent level for no apparent reason.”

Honors for Tyler Baron

Hurricanes defensive lineman Tyler Baron on Monday was named the ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week.

Baron recorded three sacks in the win against FAMU, making him just the eighth Miami player in the past 20 years to have a three-sack game.

Nationally, Baron ranks second this season with four sacks (behind North Carolina’s Jahvaree Ritzie, who has five) and tied for second with Oklahoma State’s Nick Martin with five-and-a-half tackles for loss (behind Syracuse’s Fadil Diggs, who has six).

Injury updates

Cristobal said the three players who were injured in Miami’s season opener — defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr., cornerback Damari Brown and offensive lineman Ryan Rodriguez — are “getting better” but are still being listed as “week to week.”

Cristobal also said Monday morning during his weekly appearance on WQAM’s “The Joe Rose Show” that left tackle Jalen Rivers, who did not play against Florida A&M with an unspecified injury, is “day to day.”

“His deal is not very serious,” Cristobal said, “but we’re going to to do right by him and make sure that he is ready to go when he does play. We’re getting close. It’s not going to be too much longer.”

Game time announced for Miami-USF

The ACC on Monday announced that Miami’s road game at USF on Sept. 21 will kick off at 7 p.m. from Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium.

The game will be broadcast on either ESPN or ESPN 2.

This means three of Miami’s first five games will be night contests. UM’s home opener against Florida A&M was a 6 p.m. kickoff and its ACC opener against Virginia Tech will be a 7:30 p.m. kickoff on Sept. 27.