Subscribe
Follow Us
Miami football coach Mario Cristobal doesn't want to hear any more about the “false narrative” surrounding Cam Ward sitting out the second half of the Hurricanes' loss to Iowa State in the 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl.
As the potential No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Ward came under fire for not finishing the team's 42-41 loss in his final collegiate game, with some saying he quit on the team.
“Bulls**t,” Cristobal said, per Tim Reynolds of the AP.
In one season for Miami, the grad transfer threw for 4,313 yards and 39 touchdowns, rushing for four more. He also threw only seven interceptions and had a 67.2 completion percentage.
“His play was spectacular,” Cristobal added, according to On3. “But again, I think all the other stuff, the intangibles, the behind-the-scenes stuff, the getting to the, bringing players together, galvanizing a team and galvanizing a program, teaching guys how to watch tape, you name it. All the things that are required to be a really good Division I football player and great teammate, he was exemplary.”
Cristobal also highlighted Ward's role in helping elevate Miami back to national prominence.
“Even more so than the plays, the touchdowns, and the highlight reels [was] the fact that he played a major role along with guys like Jalen [Rivers] on bringing a team together,” he said. “Which as we know, again, don’t want to beat a dead horse but [I] came back to Miami after 20-plus years to make sure that Miami gets back to a certain level and these guys have elevated it tremendously.”
Miami football QB Cam Ward emerges as NFL Draft No. 1 pick prospect
Depending on who you ask, either Ward or Colorado's Shedeur Sanders is the best quarterback prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft class. Just last week, ESPN polled 20 scouts and executives from around the league, with 11 voting Sanders as the best and nine opting for Ward. Either way, if Ward hears his name called first on draft night, it would not be a shock.
CBS Sports' Mike Renner published his latest mock draft on Monday, and he has Ward going 1 overall to the Tennessee Titans.
“Cam Ward's high-end tools, mixed with his continued improvement, make him easily the most intriguing quarterback prospect in the class,” Renner wrote. “The Titans have a lot of work to do surrounding him with talent, but Ward is no stranger to having to create on his own.”
ESPN’s Field Yates added that even though the difference between Ward and Sanders is “razor-thin,” Ward has an advantage in thinking on his feet.
“He can make something out of nothing, a better overall athlete,” Yates said in December. “Probably a stronger arm, as well.”
