The first two years of the Mario Cristobal era have not gone how Miami football would have hoped. An inexcusable 5-7 2022 season was followed up by a 7-6 campaign in 2023. Heading into year three, Cristobal and company are expecting more.
The Hurricanes return many of their key players from last year's team and has one of the best transfer portal classes. A number of those players, especially quarterback Cameron Ward, look to be high-impact players for the 2024 season for Miami football.
Can Cameron Ward fix Miami football's QB issues?
Miami has churned through a number of quarterbacks over the years. Tyler Van Dyke looked like the solution at that position in 2021, but his play took a step back in the next couple of years. Guys like Jake Carcia, Jacurri Brown, and Emory Williams have gotten their shots there in that span too. Before 2021, Miami landed D'Eriq King out of the portal, but he wasn't able to make a mark on the program.
Things should go differently in a good way with former Washington State quarterback Cameron Ward. Ward began his college career at Incarnate Word, where he put up huge numbers. In 19 games there, Ward threw for 6,908 yards and 71 touchdowns to just 14 interceptions. He did so while completing 63.49% of his passes and averaging a healthy 7.7 yards per attempt.
Ward transferred to Washington State and proceeded to replicate the monster stats he put up in his first stop. In his first season at Pullman, Ward completed 64.4% of his passes, averaged 6.5 yards per attempt, and put up 3,231 yards and 23 touchdowns. He was even better in his second season as his completion percentage (66.6%), yards (3,735), yards per attempt (7.7), and touchdowns (25) all improved.
Ward nearly entered the 2024 NFL Draft, but wasn't enthused about the feedback he received regarding his draft stock. So instead he entered the portal and transferred to Miami. The program has churned through a number of quarterbacks and coaches in search of someone who can elevate the Hurricanes to the heights they saw in the 1980s and early 2000s. Ward could be the man to do that with how much talent the Hurricanes will have this year.
Is ‘The U' back?
It would be premature to suggest that Miami is on their way back toward becoming a powerhouse, but there are a few reasons that could point toward them making a run for the College Football Playoff in 2024. One is Ward. Ward was one of the best quarterbacks in college football last year and he alone should catapult Miami's offense this year.
But another is the surplus of talent that is arriving to Coral Gables for this upcoming season. Miami's 2024 recruiting class ranks third overall and their transfer portal coup ranks 10th, via 24/7 Sports. In addition to that, Miami had the seventh-best recruiting class in their 2023 rankings.
While it's far from a guarantee that many of their incoming freshmen will make a big impact on this year's team, those from the 2023 group should make some solid contributions. So should other additions from the portal. That includes players like former Oregon State running Damien Martinez, Houston wide receiver Sam Brown, and Georgia Tech cornerback Tyler Rowe.
But the most notable player of that group of transfer making their way to Miami in 2024 is Ward. Ward is the best quarterback that has made his way to Miami's campus in a long time. He will give them a chance to compete for a spot in the College Football Playoff. It is up to the Hurricanes and coach Cristobal to capitalize and make good on all the talent that is on this team.
Follow Us
Subscribe