ACC Football: 5 moves that would spark change in 2019

4. Miami flips Sam Howell

ACC recruiting has been fairly stable and obvious in both December and February for the past few seasons. There haven’t been a lot of surprises along the east coast when it comes to recruiting.

With the Florida State Seminoles down, and the Miami Hurricanes trying to state “we back” is there any bigger pull than for Mark Richt to steal a commitment from Willie Taggart? The Hurricanes are in need of a quarterback in the class of 2019 and FSU commitment Sam Howell could be that player.

Heading into 2019, Miami has a clear starter in N’Kosi Perry, a suspended backup in Cade Weldon, and a redshirt freshman in Jarren Williams. Williams will have to play three seasons behind Perry or transfer and that’s a common risk among four-star quarterbacks in the social media era. Mark Richt and his staff can’t expect Williams to sit behind the quarterback that threw four touchdowns in a dramatic comeback over the Seminoles.

Sam Howell is a 6-foot-1, 225-pound pro style passer from Monroe, N.C. The Sun Valley High School passer is a blue chip four-star that’s ranked in the top-100 per 247Sports. Richt knows a good quarterback when he sees one, has turned Miami into a top-15 football program, and has recruited the southeast for decades both as a coordinator at FSU and a head coach at both Georgia and now Miami.