Kyle Wright, a Miami graduate, is ranked 16th among the “Top 20 highest-rated quarterback prospects in college football recruiting history” according to a list published by 247Sports last week. Wright has been dubbed the biggest bust in Hurricanes history by some Miami supporters.
Wright came into the 2003 class out of Danville Monte Vista as the third-ranked prospect, the best pro-style quarterback, and the second-ranked recruit in California. In the class that graduated following Ken Dorsey, Wright signed with Miami. In 2003, Brock Berlin played quarterback for Miami most of the time.
In 2004, Berlin made a comeback and continued to be the leading starter. Wright was a redshirt freshman. As the primary backup to Berlin in 2004, Wright’s season was cut short by an ankle injury and an adverse reaction to a bee sting. In 2005, Wright had a clearer route to go when Berlin graduated.
In 2005, Wright replaced Kirby Freeman as the starting pitcher. Wright appeared promising and was productive in his debut season as a starter. Over the next two seasons, Wright made more mistakes. In his debut season as a starter in 2005, Wright led the ACC in touchdown passes and finished second in passing efficiency.
In the contemporary recruiting era since 2000, Grant Hughes of 247Sports has outlined and analyzed the careers of the top 20 quarterback prospects. While Dorsey’s Miami career peaked between 2000 and 2002, as a recruit he was already established before then. That also holds true for QB U’s Miami era.
“After being redshirted in 2003, Wright served as Brock Berlin’s backup the following year. However, he was essentially forced to retire from the game after just a few games due to an ankle ailment and an allergic reaction to a bee sting. Berlin had graduated, so going into the 2005 season, Miami had an open quarterback position. Wright outperformed redshirt freshman Kirby Freeman in spring practice and was given the starting nod.”
16. Miami’s Kyle Wright
With the Hurricanes, Kyle Wright had limited action as a freshman. In 2005, he had his greatest year as a student-athlete, finishing 58.6% of his throws for 2,403 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. His passes for touchdowns topped the ACC. Although Wright was predicted to be a breakout player in 2006, he was let down, throwing eight interceptions for every touchdown in nine games.Wright finished 2007 as a senior quarterback with 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
With 5,835 throwing yards, a 59.2 completion percentage, and 38 career touchdown passes, Wright ranks 10th in Miami history. Only these quarterbacks—Wright, Jacory Harris, Brad Kaaya, Tyler Van Dyke, George Mira, E.J. Baker, Ryan Clement, Dorsey, and Jack Hackett—have led Miami in passing for at least three seasons.
In the three seasons that Wright was Miami’s primary starting quarterback, the team finished 9-3 in 2005, 7-6 in 2006, and 5-7 in 2007. Wright’s tenure as the starting quarterback for the Miami football program coincided with its downfall among the best in college football. Since 2003, Miami has only won ten games in one season, which was 2017.
Since Dorsey graduated, Miami has struggled at quarterback. Miami was hampered by Wright’s incapacity to stay consistent and grow beyond his rookie campaign. After leaving Miami, Wright played one NFL season in 2008, spending time on the practice squads of the Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers.
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