A journey from zero-star recruit to being the probable No.1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. That’s how Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward’s graph has witnessed a sharp rise. When talking about Ward’s growth, how could we miss out on his heroic feat before his final game at Incarnate Ward? Against Sam Houston State, he had one request for coach Eric Morris. “If you let me throw it 60 times. We’ll win this game.” And the rest is history. When it comes to his latest glow-up, no one witnessed it more closely than the Miami Hurricanes head coach, Mario Cristobal. As he comes up with a clean chit for Ward, the stakes are already heating up for the Miami QB in Mike Borgonzi’s Tennessee. Now that they land Ward, will they close the doors to Will Levis’ face? The head coach came up with a clear picture.
Cristobal and the Hurricanes fans thank coach Morris to this day. After all, he had permitted his redshirt freshman quarterback to throw 61 passes. Ward completed 39 for 481 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions. Even though they lost, the quarterback found a reason to pursue his dreams in college. But not to forget, Ward wasn’t so much under the radar as off it entirely — he was rated a zero-star recruit. It was Morris, again, who discovered him at a cap the year before his senior season. After Morris was named Washington State’s offensive coordinator, Ward followed him to college football’s highest level. It was on January 13, 2024, that the quarterback swapped wagons to join Cristobal’s squad. Surprisingly, one year was enough for him to woo the head coach.
“He embodies everything you want in a team leader and your quarterback.”#Miami coach Mario Cristobal joined The Insiders and went deep on his QB Cam Ward, who is poised to go No. 1 to the #Titans. pic.twitter.com/Sa7rx6HyQe
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 22, 2025
In December 2024, they participated in the Pop Tarts Bowl against the Iowa State Cyclones. Ward grabbed the spotlight, throwing three touchdown passes in the first half to set a new NCAA Division I career record. He entered the game needing three touchdown passes to hit 156 in his career, which would be one more than the previous record set by Houston’s Case Keenum from 2007 through 2011. So, it’s obvious that Ward has won Cristobal’s heart. On April 22, the Miami HC joined National Insider Ian Rapoport. And he did not run out of praises to shower over his quarterback star. “Cam Ward. 1 of 1. Tough, smart, instinctive, relentless. The guy who just wants to win. He wants his teammates to do well, he is a program changer. I don’t know where to start. I don’t know where to stop. But he embodies everything you want in a team leader, in a quarterback.”
But Ward did not have the privilege of wearing those rose-tinted glasses from the beginning. Back in Washington State, he made some mistakes. One of them is especially problematic: a fumble created because of the insecure way Ward carries the pigskin. But Cristobal did not find any fault with his quarterback there, talking about his talents to make himself capable enough to be in the No.1 pick conversation. The HC said, “No.1 is him, his God-given ability, his upbringing, his mentality. But Washington State, we all felt that. Man, he had all the tools, but he was running for his life at that time. And he was always playing from behind. So, all of that proposition, the scrambling, that hasn’t just made things happen all the time.”
And we got to see how a little support can go a long way. As Cristobal highlighted, “We wanted to place him around a really strong supporting cast, starting with the offensive line. And he had protection, some really good receivers, and he had a system that allowed him to play fast and play free.” The difference in stats says it all. In 2023, back at Washington State, Ward came up with 3736 yards and 25 touchdowns. The next year at Miami, it shot up to 4313 yards and 39 touchdowns. So, is his path ahead to the NFL all clear?
Cam Ward wins praise while Will Levis’ future hangs in the air
The Tennessee Titans spent the entire offseason mulling over their plans for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Their desperation to hunt down a talented quarterback this time has been real. After all, they could bag only three wins last season as their quarterback, Will Levis, struggled throughout. Miami’s Cam Ward has been the apple of the Titans’ eye for some time now. Borgonzi and Miami head coach Brian Callahan appeared for a pre-draft interview on Tuesday, April 22, along with President of Football Operations Chad Brinker. That’s when he was in all praise of Ward.
“He’s confident, I wouldn’t say he’s cocky. I think there’s a fine line between the two. He carries himself the right way, and I just appreciate the way he approaches the game,” said Brinker. All reports indicate that both parties are equally excited about the partnership. But one question continues to loom in the fans’ hearts. Is it a closed chapter for Levis in Tennessee? The Titans still used a second-round pick in the 2023 draft on Levis. After a lackluster season, the Titans are moving away from the former Kentucky star, disposing of the starting quarterback duties to Ward. But it’s not over for Levis.
As Tennessee said, they are not giving up on Will Levis yet. “Will is a quarterback in our room and he’s still developing. He’s a young quarterback. He’s had some good moments and like any other young quarterback, they’re continuing to develop.” Now that Cam Ward takes the reins bringing in stability under center, Levis will now learn from him. That’s how in the near future the Titans can flex a strong quarterback unit.
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