Of all the college football quarterbacks in the transfer portal, Cam Ward seems to be getting the most attention. The former Washington State and Incarnate Word signal-caller is in the process of deciding where he will play next season.
By all accounts he is down to three options:
- Miami
- Florida State
- Entering the NFL Draft
The Hurricanes got Ward on campus. The Seminoles are working to get him to Tallahassee. Should neither opportunity excite him enough to stay on the collegiate level, he could play his way into a first or second-round pick with a strong showing at the NFL Combine and Pro Day.
In the meantime, The U is doing whatever it can to get Ward to Coral Gables. Head coach Mario Cristobal broke out the big guns for his visit to town on Tuesday night.
First and foremost, the Ward family was treated to dinner at Prime 112, a top-tier steakhouse on Ocean Drive in Miami Beach. They ordered a seafood tower, so clearly there was no limit to the cost.
Not only did the Ward family get to eat at one of the more famous and “seen-and-be-seen” spots in Miami, one of the most famous rappers in the world — who could not be more closely associated with Miami — joined them at the table. Rick Ross pulled up a chair to eat with head coach Mario Cristobal and company.
Along with Ross and Cristobal, Ward spent a lot of time with offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson. If he is going to return to college, it would make a lot of sense to play for a similar offense to what he ran on the FCS level and with the Cougars.
Dawson runs an air-raid system like Cam Ward is accustom, so that pairing could best set him up for success.
He completed 65.5% of his passes for 6,986 yards and 48 touchdowns with 16 interceptions in two years at Washington State, and added 202 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground. His 2023 season was especially electric.
Watching Ward play is like a video game. If Dawson and Cristobal — with help from Rick Ross — can get him to commit, the Hurricanes would be in a great position. As would Ward, who could be a dark horse Heisman Trophy candidate in the right system.
Florida State and the NFL are still an option, but it is hard to say no to Ricky Rozay!