Meet Miami’s soon-to-be 18-year-old quarterback with an ‘unlimited ceiling.’ He’s 6-7

These days, between “grinding the Grinch” watching favorite Christmas flicks and preparing for life’s next passage as a University of Miami college student, quarterback Judd Anderson is daydreaming about the Hurricanes.

“Playing for a school with a national championship history like that, there’s just a longing in that facility to get back to the point of dominating college football,’’ the upbeat Anderson, 18, of Warner Robins (Georgia) High School, told the Miami Herald on Thursday. “I want to be a part of that.’’

He will be soon enough.

When the three-day early signing period kicks off at 7 a.m. Wednesday, the physically imposing, keenly focused 6-7, 225-pound Anderson will be the only high school signal caller to officially become a Hurricane. He’s getting his orange-and-green duds picked out for his school signing ceremony, but will have to wait a few weeks to arrive in Coral Gables in mid January as an early enrollee who finished high school with a 3.95 grade point average.

Anderson’s soon-to-be roommate: incoming kicker Abram Murray, the first UM commit in the 2024 signing class way back in July 2022. Anderson was the second commit last April 7, when UM’s class — currently rated in the top-10 nationally — seemed like a ghost town.

“Ghost town: You’re not wrong,’’ Murray said this past weekend, agreeing that he “had faith’’ the class would become one of the nation’s strongest and that Anderson, whom he befriended when they were the lone commits, will be a perfect roomie. “I like him because he’ll stay on the straight and narrow path to work toward his goals and won’t be sidetracked.’’

Today, the class is crowded with elite talent from all three phases of the game, with about 30 newcomers expected to sign their scholarship papers during the initial signing period that concludes Friday. The second signing period for the 2024 season begins Feb. 7 and ends April 1.

As early as Wednesday, the quarterback-thin Hurricanes could sign at least one quarterback other than Anderson for 2024, as former UM fourth-year junior Tyler Van Dyke announced last week that he is transferring to Wisconsin after a career that reached the highest highs and lowest lows in Coral Gables. But the additional quarterback is expected to come from the transfer portal and have enough college experience to possibly slip right into the starting lineup this fall for the opener against the Florida Gators at the Swamp.

Sophomore Jacurri Brown is the only current healthy UM quarterback on scholarship, and will start next week’s Pinstripe Bowl against Rutgers after not playing a single snap in 2023. Brown could end up entering the portal after the Pinstripe, or return to vie for the starting job. Promising freshman Emory Williams underwent surgery last month and is rehabbing after sustaining a compound fracture of his left arm at Florida State.

Anderson, like pretty much every quarterback who signs with a high-profile program, understands that he might redshirt while he develops — but is openly confident that he has the talent to immediately compete for playing time. Among his other offers: Ole Miss, Pittsburgh, Georgia Tech, Connecticut, Memphis and Eastern Michigan.

“College football is an ever-changing world to the point that anything can happen and anybody can come in at any time,’’ Anderson said of the seemingly out-of-control comings and goings of the transfer portal. “A true freshman starting Game 1? I have to put that in my head. That’s the competitor I am. I feel like I’ll be one of the best guys in the room and I want to showcase my abilities. Whether I redshirt or not, or I get to play four, five games, that’s fine. Every day is another day to work.’’

Three-star

Anderson is rated a three-star prospect in a system, used by recruiting sites, that assigns stars — three-to-five for athletes at major programs. 247Sports has him as the 49th best quarterback nationally and 112th best player in Georgia, regardless of position. On3 has him as the 43rd best quarterback and 63rd best player in Georgia.

He never played youth league football such as Pop Warner, but began playing in sixth grade as a receiver for his middle school and transitioned to quarterback in ninth grade. He played his first two years of high school ball at Ridgeland in Rossville, Georgia. But the run-heavy, old-school Wing-T offense was not conducive to a big-bodied, big-armed, pro-style quarterback in an era of pass-heavy, spread offenses.

So, Anderson transferred to Jones County High in Gray, Georgia for his junior season and passed for 1,776 yards (56.5 completion percentage), with 15 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

It was a trying year for Anderson, but he returned to Jones County for the start of his senior season in 2023. After Jones County alternated Anderson and another quarterback every other series in the first two games of 2023, Anderson transferred to Warner Robins and his game soared.

He finished 232 of 315 (73.6 percent) for 2,917 yards and 30 touchdowns, with seven interceptions in the 12 games he played for Class 5A Warner Robins. He rushed for two touchdowns and caught another, leading the Warner Robins Demons to the state quarterfinals and a 9-4 final record. On Oct. 27, Anderson led the Demons to a 43-28 win over his former Jones County, which was flagged for more than 100 yards of penalties — including several for roughing the passer.

“For Judd,’’ said his dad, Wade, “it was redemption.’’

In the end, the quarterback said, “it wasn’t a good situation’’ at Jones County, and “it got 10 times better” after he transferred. “I was able to make decisions at Warner Robins,’’ he said. “They allowed me to be free and break out of this bind — kind of like being stuck in a box. At Warner Robins, it was, ‘You’re making the right decisions, you’re the best player out there, have fun, do what you do and just play ball.’’

Anderson also is a talented basketball player, who led the state of Georgia in rebounds as a sophomore and as a junior led Jones County to the state semifinals. He quit hoops to focus on football this season. UM offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson offered Anderson a scholarship soon after getting hired in February 2023.

“He told Judd, ‘You’re our guy,’ and the communication from Day 1 has been elite,’’ said Wade Anderson, who owns a landscaping company that undertakes major projects — retainer walls, water features — for homeowners. “Judd is not going in with a mindset of, ‘By year 1...’ or ‘By year 2...’ He’s going to work his tail off.

“Can’t get caught up in what’s going on, good or bad,’’ Judd’s father said regarding the fluid UM quarterback situation. “He’ll just keep his head down and focus on developing.’’

Wade and his wife, Rachel, an audiologist who has her doctorate, raved about the UM coaching staff’s desire to stay in touch with the family. “He could have gone to other places,’’ Wade said, “but coach Mario Cristobal and his staff have great attention to detail. There’s a group chat between our family and the coaches and every day we hear from Mario or Coach Dawson. That’s very encouraging.’’

Said Rachel: “Those coaches were so welcoming from the start. You want to know your son will be around good, high-character people.’’

Size, athleticism

Anderson, always a lot larger than the rest of his classmates, is also considered more agile and athletic than most quarterbacks approaching his size — not that there are many. His substantial upside is one of the reasons UM’s coordinator Dawson grabbed him early.

“At one point, Dawson was like, ‘Do you see what I see? I’m getting a kid that could be a real high-level guy that is a little bit under the radar,’’’ Atlanta-based Quarterback Country trainer Charley Loeb said. “He’s a real interesting kid. First off, he’s a really bright light, a lot of energy, a lot of enthusiasm for the game. He loves the process.

“From a physical standpoint he sticks out. For his size and age, from when I first started training with him after his sophomore season, he was never goofy or awkward. Very rare to get athletes that long and young that know how to use their limbs in a coordinated way.

“He’s got a lot of velocity, spins the ball well — high spin rate, tight spiral — and it’s all in this unique package. Judd is 6-7 and moves like he’s 6-1. The ceiling for a kid like that is unlimited.’’

Fellow private quarterbacks coach Denny Thompson of Jacksonville-based 6Points, said Anderson, whom he has helped train since ninth grade, “has come as far developmentally’’ as anyone he’s ever coached.

“When his dad told me his height I thought, ‘Oh, no,’’ Thompson said. “But when he came in and threw for the first time he was as fluid as anybody I’d ever seen at that age. Then he started adding weight and got obsessive about the mechanics. He works really hard and has gotten categorically better every time we see him — at least once a month.

“This year, seeing him on the field, you’re going, ‘This guy is stinking good.’ He’s connected to the ground, he understands ground force and he’s able to control this big body. Now he’s seeing the game better. The thing we’re working on now more than anything is his reaction time and we’re doing it through his vision. When you’re that tall and your legs are that long, your drop gets a little more complicated at times.’’

Anderson’s take

Anderson said he has worked hard on decision-making, reading defenses, pocket movement and finding lanes. “I’m a big in-the-pocket guy,’’ he said. “I deliver shots whether I’m being hit or it’s a clean pocket. I deliver catchable footballs and this year I got better accuracy-wise and at intermediate throws.

“Ultimately my goal is always development and being in the right place physically, mentally and spiritually. Ratings don’t matter in the end game for me. No matter who you are you have to compete and work for what you get in college.”

Anderson, brother to a 5-11, 16-year-old sister who plays volleyball and a 27-year-old sister with two children, said he’ll go into UM “open-minded” about his future major and “feel stuff out the first two years.’’

“I’m excited about college,’’ he said. “I mean, this is the next chapter. Yeah, I’m growing up and there’s an anxious side that sometimes creeps in. But I’m really happy about what’s ahead.’’

UM COMMITS

DL Justin Scott, St. Ignatius (Chicago); S Zaquan Patterson, Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood); DE Marquise Lightfoot, Kenwood Academy (Chicago); WR Ny Carr, Colquitt County (Moultrie, Georgia); WR Joshisa Trader, Chaminade-Madonna; RB Kevin Riley, Tuscaloosa County (Northport, Alabama); WR Chance Robinson, St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale); TE Elija Lofton, Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas); DL Artavius Jones, Blountstown (Fort Lauderdale); OT Markel Bell, Holmes Community College (Goodman, Mississippi); DE Booker Pickett Jr., Wharton (Tampa); DE Elias Rudolph, Taft (Cincinnati); LB Cameron Pruitt, Theodore (Alabama); DE Kendall Jackson, F.W. Buchholz (Gainesville); DB Ryan Mack, St. Thomas Aquinas; OT Deryc Piazz, Mandarin (Jacksonville); DB Romanas Frederique Jr., St. Thomas Aquinas; S Isaiah Thomas, Clearwater Academy International; S Dylan Day, Southern Lab (Baton Rouge), QB Judd Anderson, Warner Robins (Georgia); RB Chris Wheatley-Humphrey, South Broward (Hollywood); OT Juan Minaya, Paramus Catholic, (New Jersey); DL Daylen Russell, Columbus (Miami); DE Cole McConathy, Spanish Fort (Alabama); IOL Nino Francavilla, Cheshire Academy (Connecticut); K Abram Murray, CE Byrd (Shreveport, Louisiana).