RedHawk Insider: Football Camp Practice No. 13

OXFORD, Ohio— David McComb knows that there's no substitute for experience. That's why scrimmage settings like this morning's 'Kickoff with the Community' are so valuable for the redshirt freshman quarterback.

McComb, a transfer from the University of Kansas, hasn't played a game since his senior season of high school ended in the Oklahoma state semifinals nearly 21 months ago. "With a scrimmage, you get the butterfly feeling again after so long of not playing," McComb said. "Like, 'Okay, it's time to go.'

"Pitt is close and right around the corner, but it's just exciting to get that feeling back."

McComb is expected to be the RedHawks' starting quarterback when the opener kicks off at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on Sept. 5, and head coach Chuck Martin said the Edmond, Okla. native is settling in and getting more comfortable in the position as camp has unfolded.

"Really smart. Really talented. Really inexperienced – he's a freshman," said Martin. "He makes plays. He can make every throw. He can run. He's accurate. He understands the game. He can manage the offense.

"For as young as he is, he's got a really good handle on the game; his thing is just the experience of playing the game."

McComb, who clearly has playmaking ability, mentioned situational awareness as something he can continue to grow in as he gets more reps, and the scrimmage today provided the perfect opportunity to do just that:

"No game experience, so I'm trying to understand when to throw the ball away, when to get the ball out and not take a sack – stuff like that," he commented.

Still, the growth this fall from day one to practice No. 13 has been encouraging, especially when it comes to his connection with the RedHawk receivers. "We're getting better," McComb said. "If you watch the first workout of the year compared to now, it's like night and day – you get the timing [down] and spend so much time...

"I'm so far away from home, so all I do is football up here. It's just football, football, football in my head, so working with those guys every day and every weekend helps a lot."

DEPTH CHART UPDATE: Martin said today that redshirt sophomore Thomas Gotkowski, who started the final three games of 2025, will be unavailable this season due to an injury. Gotkowski and McComb had been battling for the QB1 job in camp.

"Right now, David's the starter...obviously with Thomas going down, Caleb [Heavner] stepped up, and he's going to be the number two," Martin added.

"The young kid, [Drew] Bellisari, is going to be number three. So, we still feel really good about the room."

RED-ZONE REPS: After the Miami defense forced punts on the first couple of possessions this morning, the offense bounced back with five consecutive touchdowns in red-zone scenarios, bookended by scores from Carl Jenkins. Braylon Isom also caught a slant in the end zone to go along with scoring runs from D'Shawntae Jones and Cade Yacamelli in the sequence.

"It was good to see our group come out and get smacked in the mouth and respond to it," said offensive coordinator Gus Ragland. "It didn't snowball into a day where we're not executing; our guys responded great [and] came right back. We competed, we made some contested catches...and we were able to run the ball in short-yardage red-zone situations.

"Really pleased with how we responded."

RAGLAND'S RISE: Ragland, who has been Miami's quarterbacks coach for the past three seasons, added the offensive coordinator title to his responsibilities this year. So what has the former RedHawk QB (2015-18) found different in his new role on staff?

Gus Ragland and quarterbacks — *Ragland watching Miami's quarterbacks warm up*

"I think just having a say in what goes on at other positions – being able to work with our position coaches (who are great to work with) and then just having more of a direct line to some of the players now," Ragland explained.

"I'll go in the receivers' room and talk them through what we're thinking on a route. I'll go in the running backs' room and talk them through what we're thinking on a play fake.

"That, for me, has been really rewarding, and every day I'm learning something new," Ragland continued. "I think it's been a really fun year so far. I think there's going to be a ton of growth to come this fall too."

KEEPING UP WITH THE KIDS: As part of the fan festivities at today's 'Kickoff' event, kids 12 and under were allowed to run on the field with the team before practice started. Nearly 20 youngsters got to participate in their own version of warmups a few feet away from the RedHawks' pregame stretching drills, much to their delight.

DRESS REHEARSAL: The scrimmage format allowed Miami to treat practice more like a real gameday (including both offense and defense on the same sideline as well as coaches stationed in the press box to help with playcalling), and Martin was happy with the outcome.

"First time we subbed from the sidelines – it was good," Martin said. "We're probably ahead of where we usually are; even though we've got a bunch of new guys, we've known we were going to have new guys, so pretty conscious of trying to make everything as game-like as possible so they can understand it.

"It was a really good day! Not perfect, but pretty clean for our first day."

EYEBALL EMOJI: Amariyun Knighten got the defense off to a good start in the two-minute drill portion of practice, reeling in an interception on the far side of the field after a Miami defender brought a blitz off the edge.

KELLAN'S KICK: Miami worked on plenty of special teams situations this morning, including kickoffs and kickoff returns, punts and punt returns, onside kicks, field goals and more. There were several successful field goal attempts from multiple kickers as the day wore on, including a 50-yarder that Kellan McLaughlin converted with ease.

ABCs: Caleb Heavner, senior quarterback, jersey no. 6
Get to know a player on the 2026 Miami Football team in their own words.

Attributes and Adjectives: What are three words that describe you as a player or a person?
"Three words? I would say faithful. Competitive. And...hmm....[to McComb] What would you say, David?

[McComb's response nearby: "Old!"]

"Competitive, faithful, and old."

Background Bio: What brought you to Miami? How did you get here?
"Entered the transfer portal [from D-II Fort Hays], and they were kind of the first school to hit me up. Did some research, and they win. Got on the phone with Coach Martin and Coach Ragland, and I love their attitudes and their competitiveness. I kind of knew it was the right spot."

Compare/Contrast: Who do you try and model your game after? "Baker Mayfield, for sure."
And what sets you apart from other people at your position?
I would say just experience and competitiveness. I've played a lot of football, and every time I go out there, I'm going to try to do my best."

Drive and Desire: Why do you play the game? What drives you to excel?
"Growing up, my dad was a coach, so just being around it – wanting to do it for him, for my family."

External Evaluation: Scouting report from a Miami coach or teammate.
"He's super-smart as a quarterback, super-helpful with me and being a young guy, just guiding me and showing me what to do in the film room and on the field, giving me quick tips." -David McComb

Fun Facts: Share one or two interesting things about you that the average fan (or maybe even people on your team) might not know.
"I have a fiancée. Her name is Peyton, and we got engaged in May."

Golf Group: If you could assemble your dream foursome for a day at the golf course (anyone in the world past or present), who would you choose and why?
"Russell Westbrook, Baker Mayfield, CeeDee Lamb, and Serge Ibaka."

PLAY OF THE DAY: True freshman Tristan Reed not only drew a defensive pass interference whistle but made multiple catches on the final drive of practice, including a twisting touchdown grab near the right pylon to wrap up the proceedings. There was a long wait for a verdict before Martin announced whether or not Reed had managed to pull in the reception in bounds, but the scoring play put a nice exclamation point on fall camp.

For more inside coverage of Miami Athletics, bookmark RedHawk Insider. Miss a fall camp report? Catch up with our daily MiamiRedHawks.com notebooks: Aug. 20 | Aug. 19 | Aug. 18 | Aug. 13 | Aug. 12 | Aug. 11 | Aug. 8 | Aug. 6 | Aug. 5

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RedHawk Insider: Football Camp Practice No. 13

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Players Mentioned

Thomas Gotkowski

Caleb Heavner

Braylon Isom

Carl Jenkins

D'Shawntae Jones

Amariyun Knighten

David McComb

Kellan McLaughlin

Tristan Reed

Cade Yacamelli

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