Miami Hurricanes Football: A Farewell to Brad Kaaya

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 8:51 p.m. ET

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Fansided, Geoffrey Knox/FanSided via Saturday Blitz

Quarterback Brad Kaaya will leave “The U” to join an NFL team, and whoever acquires him will be lucky.

Unless you’re from the West Coast, we sometimes don’t appreciate football on that side of the country as much as we should. They produce so much NFL talent it’s scary, particularly at the quarterback position. Still, for some reason, that side of the country typically plays second fiddle to other regions like the south. Take what we just witnessed with signal caller Brad Kaaya.

He’s another West Coast quarterback who often hasn’t gotten the credit he deserves. He’s been the starting quarterback for the Miami Hurricanes since his freshman season in 2014. That’s why we truly know him, but a lot had already happened in the life of that young man before that happened.

Kaaya, a pro-style quarterback from Los Angeles, California, was ranked in the top ten in that category by every reputable scouting site when it was time to start getting visits by recruiters. He set a record in his senior season at Chaminade College Preparatory School in 2013, throwing for 3855 yards and 27 touchdowns.

It would seem like the entire country would have been worked into a frenzy, but for the most part, that wasn’t the case. Kaaya would have to bide his time until he enrolled in a school based in the south, Miami University.

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Kaaya’s the only man who can lay claim to being the ACC Rookie of the Year in 2014. For his career, he accumulated 9,968 yards passing and 69 touchdowns. He’s earned his spot as one of the greats at a school that used to be known as “QB U”. April will be here before you know it, and when it does, he’ll be the first quarterback taken from Miami since Ken Dorsey. It’s hard to believe it’s been that long.

The decision:

In a move many anticipated, Kaaya recently announced he’d forego his senior season to enter the NFL draft. He has all the tools to be a first-round selection, and much of the country still doesn’t know much about him. Expect that to change a lot between now and April.

What the West Coast contributes to this country’s football landscape is largely undervalued. Year after year, we see phenomenal quarterback play in the Pac-12. Year after year, great talent emerges from the state of California, but college football has its’ regional biases. For that reason, you aren’t often given the credit you deserve unless you come from places like the south or the state of Ohio.

Kaaya is a special talent. He proved that in Los Angeles. He proved that in Miami. Now, as he leaves for the greener pastures of the NFL, we’re left with memories of him at the “U”. He’s helped steer the Hurricanes back on course, and now he’ll do that for an NFL franchise. If you missed the show to this point, you’ve missed a treat.

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