Miami (Ohio) has found its guy under center for 2026, and it's a name RedHawks fans have been tracking since January. According to On3's Pete Nakos, Kansas transfer David McComb is being named the starting quarterback, giving Chuck Martin's program a clear answer at the position after last season's carousel.
McComb's path here started with a portal move out of Lawrence. The Oklahoma native redshirted a season at Kansas before hitting the transfer market and landing at Miami in January, bringing 4 years of eligibility with him. That's a long runway for a program looking to build stability at quarterback.
Stability is exactly what Miami hasn't had. The RedHawks went 7-7 last season, including a MAC Championship loss to Western Michigan and an Arizona Bowl defeat to Fresno State, and the quarterback spot was reportedly a rough patch in an otherwise competitive year. Handing McComb the job now, well before Week 1, is Martin's way of settling that competition instead of dragging it into fall camp chaos.
It also means McComb doesn't get to ease into the job. Miami opens the season on the road against Pitt at Acrisure Stadium, the first meeting between the two programs since 1949 and a jump straight from the MAC into a Power 4 environment. Not exactly a soft landing spot for a first-time starter making his RedHawks debut.
Still, there's logic to throwing him in early. McComb gets a full offseason and fall camp to build chemistry with this roster before that trip to Pittsburgh, rather than being handed the keys in the middle of conference play. If Miami wants to bounce back from last year's near-miss season, it starts with getting quarterback play right from Game 1.