All Cam Ward needed ‘was a chance.’ Now, he will likely be the top pick in the NFL Draft
Cam Ward spent his entire career betting on himself when there were so many reasons to doubt what could happen.
He was a zero-star recruit out of high school. He had no offers at the Football Bowl Subdivision level. He had to forge his own path.
“There was one point where I didn’t have one camera looking at me,” Ward said. “Now the whole world is looking at me.”
Confidence in oneself can do wonders, and Ward certainly doesn’t lack confidence. He knew he was talented. He knew he could succeed on the football field, first at the college level and then hopefully in the NFL. He knew there was something inside him that could be unleashed.
“All I needed,” Ward said, “was a chance.”
He got that chance, first at FCS-level Incarnate Word, then Washington State and then ultimately the University of Miami. He set records at every stop. He turned heads. He left a lasting impression.
And on Thursday, when the 2025 NFL Draft begins in Green Bay Wisconsin, Ward will get his next chance as he is most likely going to be the No. 1 overall pick by the Tennessee Titans. He would be just the third Hurricanes player all-time to be selected No. 1 overall after quarterback Vinny Testaverde to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1987 and defensive tackle Russell Maryland to the Dallas Cowboys in 1991.
It will be Ward’s latest ascent in a career full of ascension. But as the stage got bigger and the lights got brighter, Ward never let it faze him.
“It just goes back to me not forgetting where I came from,” Ward said. “I carry myself in a certain type of way. All I want to do is play football and be with my teammates. So long as I be a good person, it’ll work out the long run.”
Before Ward got to this point, before his record-setting season with the Miami Hurricanes that put him firmly on the NFL’s map, he had to establish that he can be an elite quarterback. He ran a Wing-T offense in high school, so he didn’t have many opportunities to showcase his arm strength or accuracy.
He got that first true chance at Incarnate Word under coach Eric Morris. Ward completed 63 percent of his passes for 6,908 yards and 71 touchdowns against 14 interceptions in two seasons there begin his college career.
And while Ward appreciated the jumpstart that gave him, he knew that couldn’t be his only stop.
“A lot of people won’t take a No. 1 overall player from the FCS,” Ward said. “It comes from the Power 5 level.”
That success presented him with an opportunity to transfer to Washington State and see how he would fair against Power 5 competition. In two years with the Cougars, Ward completed 63% of his passes for another 6,963 yards and 48 touchdowns against 16 interceptions.
More success as the difficulty increased, but there was still something more to achieve.
So instead of declaring for the NFL Draft last season, he transferred to Miami for one final chance to raise his draft stock.
All he did was set the Hurricanes’ single-season school records for completions (305), passing yards (4,313), passing touchdowns (39) and completion percentage (67.2%) en route to being a finalist for the Heisman Trophy.
“We were grateful just to have Cam,” Hurricanes wide receiver Jacolby George said. “We knew it was going to be completely different from last year. That’s why we worked so hard. We knew we had to put on a show for everybody.”
He set the career Division I record with 158 touchdown passes. His 18,189 passing yards combined across three schools is third most in NCAA history behind only Case Keenum and Dillon Gabriel.
“He’s one of one,” Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal said.
On Thursday, he will likely hear his name called 1-1.
“You’d be crazy not to,” George said.
More Hurricanes in NFL Draft
Beyond Ward, the Hurricanes have multiple players who could hear their names called over the course of the three-day draft, which runs Thursday through Saturday.
Among the group: Tight end Elijah Arroyo; running back Damien Martinez; wide receivers Xavier Restrepo, Sam Brown and George; offensive linemen Jalen Rivers and Zach Carpenter; defensive linemen Tyler Baron and Simeon Barrow; linebacker Francisco Mauigoa; and kicker Andres Borregales.
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