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Pete ThamelESPN
Former Miami Hurricanes quarterback Jake Garcia has committed to Missouri, sources told ESPN.
Garcia is a former top-25 recruit in the Class of 2021 who entered the NCAA transfer portal on Tuesday. He chose Missouri after a shotgun courtship, and sources said he’s expected to enroll there by the end of this week.
Garcia redshirted his first season at Miami in 2021 and played eight games last year. He will be immediately eligible for the 2023 season and has three seasons of eligibility remaining. The move from Coral Gables to Columbia continues an itinerant journey for Garcia, who attended five high schools from California to Georgia in four years. That included moving from the West Coast to Georgia to play during the COVID-19-impacted 2020 season.
At Miami, he showed flashes of promise, including a victory this year in his only career start at Virginia. He completed 59.1% of his passes in 2022, which included five touchdowns and four interceptions. Garcia’s impressive arm talent, which led to his high-profile recruitment, made him a desired player on the transfer market. In high school, he received offers from Alabama, Florida, Ohio State, Texas and USC. He committed to the Trojans before flipping to Miami.
At Missouri, Garcia’s immediate enrollment will mean he plays for the Tigers this spring and will compete for the starting quarterback job. Missouri incumbent Brady Cook had a solid sophomore season for the Tigers, throwing for 2,739 yards, 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Freshman Sam Horn, a highly regarded recruit from Georgia, has shown flashes of promise early for the Tigers. He’ll be both participating in spring football and playing baseball for the Tigers this spring. Horn is a promising baseball prospect who has received considerable MLB draft attention, but he instead decided to enroll at Missouri to play both sports.
There’s a solid core there. Missouri has four returning starters on the offensive line and eight returning starters on defense. Wide receiver Luther Burden III, a former top recruit who flashed as a freshman, and Oklahoma transfer Theo Wease, who accounted for 1,044 yards, will be the top Missouri targets on offense.
Missouri, which finished 6-7 last year, opens the season with consecutive home games against South Dakota, Middle Tennessee and Kansas State.