Miami QB transfer Jake Garcia commits to Mizzou. Here's what it could mean for the Tigers

Missouri football is making a quarterback move through the transfer portal. Former Miami signal-caller Jake Garcia will be joining the Tigers, he announced Friday on social media.

The Miami Herald reported on Friday that Garcia will indeed join the Tigers in time for spring practice. ESPN’s Pete Thamel had originally reported Garcia’s impending transfer on Thursday.

Garcia earned one start for the Hurricanes last season, a win over Virginia. He finished last season with 803 passing yards, along with five touchdowns and four interceptions.

With spring football coming up, here’s what the addition of Garcia could mean for the Tigers.

A position battle might be coming

Had he stayed at Miami, Garcia would have been in line to compete for the starting quarterback job in Coral Gables. Instead, he may have a chance to earn it at MU.

It might not be an easy road to take over the position for the Tigers. Head coach Eli Drinkwitz and new offensive coordinator Kirby Moore will have plenty of options behind center entering the 2023 season.

For one, last year’s starter Brady Cook remains on the roster and has made it clear he wants his job back. Cook might be somewhat disadvantaged by missing spring football due to the recovery from surgery to repair a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder.

Still, Moore praised Cook during his introductory press conference on Jan. 7.

“I thought Brady really finished the year well there,” Moore said. “...He’s gonna be in the rehab process here but he can still do a lot of things above the neck in terms of learning the game and learning the offense. Just really excited to get to work with him, I’ve heard a ton of good things.”

Cook finished last season with 248 completions on 383 attempts for 2,739 yards, 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He was also one of MU’s leading rushers, going for 585 yards and six touchdowns on 139 attempts.

The only other remaining scholarship quarterback from last season is Sam Horn, a four-star prospect out of Georgia who saw action in the New Mexico State game. He rushed for 10 yards and had two incomplete pass attempts, though a long completed throw was called back on a MU penalty.

Horn and Garcia have actually faced off before. Horn’s Collins Hill was defeated in the 2020 Georgia state championship game by Garcia’s Grayson.

The Tigers will also have freshman Gabarri Johnson for next season. Johnson was a four-star recruit out of Washington.

Garcia completed

Fewer quarterback runs?

Last season, one of Missouri’s best offensive strengths was Cook’s legs. The Tigers' offensive line struggled mightily throughout the year, and even after tearing his labrum the third week of the season at Kansas State, Cook had to make things happen on his own.

Cook’s straight-line speed and ability to make defenders miss behind the line of scrimmage was huge for Missouri. After quarterbacks coach Bush Hamden took the lead calling plays mid-season, he utilized designed runs for Cook even more.

Should Garcia win the job, there might be less of that. Throughout his career, the reported addition to MU’s roster has not been known for his speed.

According to his scouting report coming out of high school by 247Sports, Garcia was not known as a dual-threat quarterback but was mobile enough to occasionally run option plays and make things happen on the ground if the pocket broke down.

Last season at Miami, Garcia had 24 rushing attempts for a net loss of 75 yards. It should be noted that sacks are counted as negative rushing yards for college quarterbacks.

Moore noted during his press conference that he plans on tooling the offensive scheme around his personnel. That could mean that an offense led by Garcia could look different than one with Cook or Horn at the helm.

Having Garcia on the team could mean the Tigers are more confident in the offensive line this season and would be more than happy to have him sit in the pocket and use his arm to try and win games.

More throws downfield?

Missouri's receiver group looks loaded for 2023. Even with the loss of last season’s leading receiver Dominic Lovett, who transferred to Georgia, the group is still solid.

Moore seemed thrilled by the wideouts earlier this month.

“Receiver room is really strong,” Moore said. “In terms of being explosive, a lot of that comes back to the receiver. In terms of we can drop all the different routes and concepts, but we got to find those guys who can either separate down the field, take a five-yard option route and take it 25, that can really get your offense going, so I’m just excited to work with those guys.”

Garcia is known for his arm talent and will be able to work the ball down the field to some of those receivers, including top transfer Theo Wease Jr., who joins the Tigers from Oklahoma, and the returning Luther Burden III, who will move to the slot this season.

Those two both have the ability to make plays down the field. Burden showed off his speed and skill last season at times, though he did have some drops, some of which could be chalked up to inexperience.

Taking over the slot position Lovett starred in last year, 2023 could be a breakout season for Burden.

“We’ve got to be explosive and we’ve got to score more,” Moore said.

There are questions about Garcia’s decision-making, and he has at times tried to use his arm to force some throws. However, in the right scheme with the right receivers, he could be a valuable addition to Missouri’s vertical passing threat.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Mizzou football: Miami transfer quarterback Jake Garcia commits