CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Perhaps the most coveted graduate transfer quarterback prospect of the 2019 season is set to visit Miami.
Rivals.com reports that former Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant will make an official visit when the Hurricanes host Pittsburgh in the regular-season finale Nov. 24 at Hard Rock Stadium.
Bryant started the first four games for the second-ranked Tigers this season before he was benched in favor of freshman Trevor Lawrence. Because of the NCAA's new transfer rule, Bryant was able to leave school and preserve a season of eligibility, essentially becoming a college football free agent.
Bringing in a veteran signal caller could be a welcome relief for the Hurricanes (5-5, 2-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), who are on a four-game losing streak.
Miami has topped 20 points just once during the skid -- a 27-21 loss at Georgia Tech last weekend -- and has shuffled between redshirt senior Malik Rosier and redshirt freshman N'Kosi Perry at quarterback.
Inconsistent quarterback play has been partly to blame for Miami's offensive woes. Rosier and Perry have combined for three touchdowns and five interceptions since Perry's four-touchdown comeback performance against rival Florida State.
Although Miami head coach Mark Richt can't speak about specific players being recruited, he made it known there are no guarantees.
"We've never brought in a graduate transfer and promised him he'd start," Richt told reporters Tuesday. "We've never done that. We've only promised an opportunity to compete. They look at the situation and decide if they think the situation is one that makes sense to them, and that's what they do."
Adding Bryant would provide veteran leadership to a roster that will return Perry, redshirt freshman Cade Weldon and true freshman Jarren Williams.
"The bottom line is, we are always trying to build our roster through any means that are legal," Richt said. "That means it helps us be stronger, because competition creates better play. That's what we're looking for. I'm not talking specific to any position, as I know you guys want me to, but any time a graduate transfer has come to this program, he has always been promised an opportunity to play, an opportunity to win a job. We've never said, 'Hey, you come in here, you're going to start for us.' We've never done that, and you can't do that. It's not right. It's not fair to anybody."
But Richt said he won't pass up the opportunity to improve the roster -- even if it means upsetting younger players already on the roster.
"We don't ask anybody's permission to do that," Richt said. "We recruit every year. We recruit every year at all positions. We recruit high school kids. We look at junior college kids. We look at graduate transfers. We look at guys who might transfer who aren't graduates. I think everybody in America is doing that. We're not doing anything different than anybody else."
Bryant is reportedly considering several other schools, including Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi State and North Carolina.
"I'm still trying to talk to more schools and make sure I get this right," Bryant told Rivals.com earlier this month. "I need to make sure I establish the right type of relationship and make the right choice."
Bryant will be eligible to play immediately in 2019. He is expected to make an announcement on his future Dec. 4.
For now, Richt remains focused on getting his team bowl-eligible. He didn't say whether that means giving Weldon or Williams a shot in the final two games against Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh.
"I'm tempted to try to win the game. How about that?" Richt said. "I guess people don't see that as a premium, but I do."