When Miami struggled through their ACC schedule last fall, several of those losses had Hurricanes fans feeling like they were a quarterback away from competing for an ACC championship.

Finally, Miami got their top choice in Cam Ward.

Ward threw for 3,736 yards last year at Washington State. That’s more yards than any ACC quarterback threw for in 2023, including NFL-bound UNC standout Drake Maye.

Ward’s touchdown to interception ratio was a solid 25 to 7. An area of concern is his fumbling. Some of that comes with the territory for a playmaking QB, but I also expect the fumbles to reduce when playing behind a better offensive line than what he had with the Cougars.

Ward’s NFL caliber arm and ability to extend plays with his legs make me hopeful and excited for his future in orange and green.

We broke down Ward’s decision to opt against the NFL in favor of Miami, and analyzed how much he can improve Mario Cristobal’s team, on my Locked On Canes podcast.

Adding Ward obviously adds pressure for the Hurricanes to win now. He was the most sought after quarterback in the transfer portal and likely commands a hefty NIL package.

The Hurricanes will be packed with experienced talent along the defensive front seven with promising youth in the defensive backfield (joining experienced cover corner Daryl Porter Jr.) Miami’s offense line should be among the best units in the ACC. The running back room is stacked and the WR room returns two of the most productive players (Xavier Restrepo and Jacolby George) in the conference.

Ward told The Athletic that the Hurricanes are right on the doorstep from joining the College Football elite.

“They’ve got a lot of people returning on offense and defense,” he said. “With the portal guys they’ve got coming in and the recruiting class they had, I easily think Miami can get to the CFP next year.”

Ward said this to 247 Sports about how he will fit in Miami’s offense: “They do a lot of 11 (personnel), 12 (personnel),” Ward said. “Coach Dawson has had a lot of success with quarterbacks. The thing that is going to help me the most is improving each aspect of my game, to be able to go in and trust my teammates and try to lead them to their first ACC championship.”

I appreciate the fact that Ward, with four years of starting experience, can set the example for Miami’s young backups.

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