Here’s a second open letter after the author’s first earlier in the season, to the true freshman quarterback of the Miami Hurricanes, Brad Kaaya.
Dear Brad Kaaya,
As I type this letter the memory that comes to my mind is Eminem’s Stan. “Dear Slim, I wrote you but you still ain’t calling/I left my cell, my pager, and my home phone at the bottom/I sent two letters back in autumn, you must not-a got ’em.”
With all jokes aside, when I wrote my first letter, we (the Hurricanes fan base) had no idea what to expect from you. We didn’t know how well you would handle adversity, we didn’t know how strong your arm was, and most importantly, we didn’t know how good you really were.
Firstly, speaking on behalf of the Miami Hurricanes fans we want to congratulate you and your teammates for all of the hard work, dedication and sacrifice that you’ve given to the Hurricanes football program.
At times the road looked grim, and a lot of pressure got placed on your shoulders, but that’s the nature of football in South Florida, especially with the Miami Hurricanes.
Through everything though, you guys never quit in games, always played with a lot of heart and effort and in the process made the city proud. We wish all of the seniors on the team who are graduating continued success with all of their future endeavors and for all of those who are deciding on joining the National Football League, we’ll always support our ProCanes.
Thank You.
It’s a breath of fresh air. If he stays focused on getting a little better every day, he’ll be a first-round pick and superstar down the road.”
With all that being said, I have no idea if you’ve taken a second to smell the roses or not but because of your work on the field and your willingness to listen, learn and get better you have accomplished records that a lot of quarterbacks in the Hurricanes illustrious history haven’t. What’s more impressive is that you did it as a freshman.
You capped off your awesome freshman year winning the ACC Rookie of the Year, as well as matching our legend Ken Dorsey (That name is going to get thrown around your way a lot, just get used to it) and Bernie Kosar for the fourth most touchdown passes in a single-season at Miami. In addition, your 2,962 yards are the fourth best by a freshman in ACC history.
If that doesn’t get you excited or proud of the work you accomplished then think of this stat.
When you threw for 359 yards against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in a hostile road environment at Memorial Stadium you set the record for yards thrown in a single game by a true freshman in Hurricanes history.We won’t even mention how you led the ACC in touchdown passes. We’ll let the Hurricanes haters figure that stat out.
Let me just say none of your performances are taken for granted because as a fan base we see how gifted you truly are and we look forward to watching your game grow to another level.
Speaking of growth, the game against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the Duck Commander Independence Bowl is a game that a lot of Hurricanes fans are going to watch. They want to see a glimpse of how much better you’re going to get and what we should expect next year.
The future might have seemed bleak after having a bit of a disappointing 6-6 season but we’re not going to spend more than this sentence on our past record. What we should hang our hats on is that the Hurricanes have gone to two bowl games in a row for the first time since 2010.
We all aren’t satisfied about this bowl game since we all have great expectations for our program but the fact we’re on the same page about wanting to achieve greater accomplishments is wonderful. When you say things like this, we couldn’t agree anymore.
Kaaya said players discussing being part of The U Part 3. "I didn't come here to go to Club Liv. I came to win championships." #UM
— Manny Navarro (@Manny_Navarro) December 16, 2014
Also are you even old enough to go to Club Liv?
Just know the road is going to get a little tougher on your shoulders next year. Seniors Denzel Perryman, Phillip Dorsett, Clive Walford and Anthony Chickillo won’t play in another game for the University of Miami after the bowl game. In addition players such as Duke Johnson and Ereck Flowers may not return as well.
The road will get tougher, it comes with the territory of the quarterback position, but you’re more than talented enough to handle the work load. A lot more responsibility will get placed on your plate next season but you’ll be fine. Everyone can see how great you are and the fact you’re humble about your talent is awesome, because you’ll get even better.
Just look at what Kirk Herbstreit happened to say about you?
"“He’s going to become one of the faces of the sport in a couple of years. He just has to keep developing, keep very level-headed and grounded…His skill set, his poise, the way he plays the game, his cerebral approach, it’s a breath of fresh air. If he stays focused on getting a little better every day, he’ll be a first-round pick and superstar down the road.”"
Oh yeah Herbstreit also said this “You do not want to play Miami next year. I’ll tell you that right now.’’ Speaking for all Miami Hurricanes fans, we couldn’t agree more.
Thanks for the awesome freshman year. Keep getting better. We’re all excited about next year.
Sincerely,
Miami Hurricanes fans everywhere & D’Joumbarey A. Moreau