Still not sold on Cam Ward? Just ask the people who’ve been around him the most
Ask any Hurricane about what Cam Ward brought to the University of Miami and the answers mirror one another.
“He’s the ultimate guy, ultimate teammate,” tight end Elijah Arroyo said. “Everybody sees what he does on the field and his confidence and everything. But the biggest thing I would say is, the type of leader he is. From Day 1, he brought the team in. He’s not afraid to hold people accountable; he wants to win and he holds the team to a certain standard.”
“His knowledge of the game, the way he prepares and just the way he takes control, it just makes it so easy to play receiver,” receiver Xavier Restrepo said.
“He came into the program, he changed it all and we all learned from him,” receiver Jacolby George said. “We all became one once he got into the facility.”
Those who still doubt what type of player that Ward can be likely won’t be convinced any time soon. Still, everyone — from his teammates to coaches to evaluators — have raved about not just what the star quarterback brings as a player but his leadership skills, a very necessary attribute if an entire franchise’s future rests on his shoulders. The best part? That sort of leadership appears instinctive.
“Just holding people accountable,” Ward said Friday of what separates him from other top-flight quarterbacks. “I’m not a ‘rah-rah’ guy. At this point in your career in the NFL, you shouldn’t need somebody to motivate you every day. You got to be seriously motivated. That’s the type of person I am. That’s the leader I am. I just think what I can bring to a franchise, no other player can bring that.”
Ward somewhat has a point. Just look at what UM did in 2023, a year prior to Ward’s arrival. The 7-6 Hurricanes finished in the bottom half of the Atlantic Coast Conference and averaged a respectable 31.5 points per game. Then came Ward. The Hurricanes subsequently boasted the No. 1 scoring offense in the country but also finished the 2024 season ranked just outside the College Football Playoffs at 13.
“I think he should be drafted first overall because he’s the best competitor and the best overall player in the country,” UM coach Mario Cristobal said on “SportsCenter.” “And his competitiveness, his way of being, the way he affects the people around them, he’s second to none. I mean, he’s a guy that has changed the profile of our university, elevated everybody around him and I just think he’s a guy that can take a franchise and just elevate it and everybody in it.”
For a coach to have that sort of confidence in you, it’s no wonder why Ward recently issued the following edict.
“You’re either going to draft me or you’re not,” Ward told The Associated Press. “If you don’t draft me, that’s your fault. You’ve got to remember you’re the same team that’s got to play me for the rest of my career, and I’ll remember that.”
The numbers speak for themselves: 4,313 yards passing (No. 2 in the country), 39 touchdowns (No. 1 in the country) and 9.5 yards per completion (No. 4 in the country). Sure, the seven interceptions are a bit concerning — as NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah wrote, “Ward will need to be reined in” — yet the arm talent and sheer reputation as culture-changer speaks volumes.
“He’s a very gifted thrower of the football,” Jeremiah wrote. “If he can learn to better manage the game, he has a very high ceiling.”
That, however, shouldn’t be a problem, per Ward.
“I’m willing to do anything it takes to win a football game whether it’s being a gunslinger all day or having to hand the ball off a couple times,” the potential top-five pick said. “At the end of the day, I know what type of player I am and the team should know what type of player they’re getting in me.”
Added Ward: “My best trait is winning in the pocket. You can’t rely on running and scramble drill. You have to win in the pocket.”
The NFL Draft ultimately comes down to preference. Some teams might like Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter. Others might even want Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. That’s fine — just remember Cristobal’s description of his former quarterback.
“Cam has been an exceptional, an elite Miami Hurricane as a competitor, as a player, as a teammate,” Cristobal told the Associated Press. “He’s elevated the profile, the exposure of the University of Miami. He is leaving a legacy that’s going to be impactful for generations to come. I mean, he’s the best I’ve been around, and I look forward to watching him lead an NFL franchise to championships.”
This story was originally published March 1, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
