After dominating much of the 80's, 90's and into the early 2000's, the University of Miami football program has now gone twenty consecutive seasons without an 11-win season or better. Over the course of those two decades — which coincides with the duration of their time as members of the ACC — the Hurricanes have won ten games only once, yet as the 2024 season approaches, many have sky high hopes that this will be the year that Miami finally breaks on through and wins their first ACC Title.
Consider FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt one of those believers. On a recent episode of The Joel Klatt Show, Klatt explained that he looks at the Hurricanes as an 11-win, Playoff-bound program in 2024.
“I said it last week, and I’ll say it again right now. Miami should be 11-1. 10-2 is an under achievement for the Hurricanes. Mario Cristobal is under and should be under an immense amount of pressure with this roster that they have and the schedule that they face. This is an 11-1 team all day long. All they’ve got to do is go out there and play to their level. Now we haven’t seen that from Mario Cristobal and his teams, really even going back to Oregon. He’s 12-13 at Miami. That has to improve, and it’s got to change immediately, and I think that it will.”
Oddsmakers seem to agree that the Miami Hurricanes are on the come up. According to Hard Rock Sportsbook, Miami is currently +400 to win the ACC, just a smidge behind co-favorites Florida State (+300) and Clemson (+350). This makes sense, as the Noles and Tigers have won a combined 12 of the 20 ACC Titles since Miami joined the conference in 2004. But with Mario Cristobal in his third season in Coral Gables — and the arrival of Washington State transfer Cam Ward — the Hurricanes are in solid position to buck this trend in 2024.
High hopes at Miami FL thanks to transfer QB Cam Ward
Former Washington State quarterback Cam Ward has been receiving praise all throughout the summer, already being hailed as the leader of this Hurricanes football program. Not bad for a guy who was a zero-star recruit coming out of high school.
Ward had to start his career at FCS program Incarnate Word, because the Cardinals were the only school in the country to offer Ward a scholarship. After winning the Jerry Rice Award as the FCS Most Outstanding Freshman, and following that up with a Southland Conference Player of the Year award in his second season, Ward transferred to Washington State, where in two seasons as the Cougars starter, he threw for 6,968 yards, 48 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.
Amazingly, after one season in Coral Gables, the NFL may be Cam Ward's next stop.
“I feel like we have an NFL quarterback at Miami right now,” Hurricanes wide receiver JaColby George said during a recent media session. “He’s great. Like, that’s the quarterback everybody would ask for, and we have him.”
NFL ready is great, but for Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal, Ward's impact on this football program has been just as much about his mental make up as it is what he's capable of physically.
“He does that by being himself and through work and by being a good person,” Cristobal said when asked how Ward was so quickly able to make the Hurricanes his team (h/t Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press. “Those things keep showing up as being undefeated, right? He puts in the time, he’s super knowledgeable, has a super-high IQ. He’s a complete alpha. When he’s wrong, he takes it right on the chin like he should. And when someone else is not living up to the standard or upholding the standard, he’s going to get all over them. He’s going to teach, but he’s also going to be very demanding.”
Follow Us
Subscribe