OPINION: Can Miami get back to being QB U?
The Miami Hurricanes have been known as the factory for so many positions on the football field because of the talent that has been assembled in Coral Gables through the years.
Running Back U. Tight End U. Safety U.
But no position through the years was held in greater esteem at Miami than the quarterback position.
QB U. The original moniker.
Kelly, Kosar, Testaverde, Walsh, Erickson, Torretta and Dorsey.
There are two Heisman winners and a Pro Football Hall of Fame selection on that list not to mention five national championships along the way.
But the slogan is very dated. Dorsey last played in 2002. The Miami nosedive at quarterback and every place else on the field for that matter has extended past two decades now.
So don’t let anybody ever question why Miami was willing to blow up its NIL budget to land Washington State transfer Cam Ward from the portal.
The price tag is enormous. Before Miami began it’s pursuit of Ward, it was clear that the market for top quarterbacks was at least a cap busting $1.5 million. With extra stuff tacked on, Ward could earn more than $2 million this fall.
Those are insane dollars when you consider NIL has been a part of college football for just two years. But it was and is that important for Miami to get back to playing with true alphas at the position.
There is enough evidence that Ward will be that to make the commitment worthwhile, and he has not done a single thing since his arrival to make anyone question the move.
Ward has been the epitome of a leader and all you had to do was watch a few minutes of spring practice to notice the upgrade in talent at the position.
We are talking about a 44-game starter here with 13,876 career passing yards and 119 touchdown passes in four seasons (two at FCS Incarnate Word, two at Washington State). And those teams didn’t have anywhere near the level of talent that Miami will be playing with this fall, critical to Ward’s potential success.
Ward is here because he and his camp were somewhat dismayed by the feedback they were getting back when Ward inquired about his NFL Draft status. He decided to pull his name out of the draft after being told that he was at best a Day 2 selection. If he were not making $2 million along the way, you might call this gambling on himself. But Ward has very little to lose here. His draft status can only elevate and he will get paid by Canes Connection and others regardless of how well he plays.
Miami had moved on after weeks of pursuing Ward and signed Albany’s Reese Poffenbarger to compete with Emory Williams to be the starter this season. You can bet Ward’s Miami commitment sent shockwaves through the Poffenbarger household. But the strength of Miami’s NIL deal with him and the potential to succeed Ward on a quality team in 2025 if he can beat out Williams was enough to keep Poffenbarger in Coral Gables this season.
Poffenbarger looked good in spring practice, maybe inches better than Williams, but the competition between those two is really too close to call. I imagine it will be determined in fall camp who will enter the game if Ward comes out. In an ideal world, Miami will likely redshirt Williams this season.
Meanwhile, Ward is hopeful that his game goes to another level at Miami. A better offensive line will be a Godsend. Ward was sacked 89 times during his two seasons at Washington State. No other quarterback was harassed more. It led to a lot of fumbles, and ball protection is something Ward has worked on extensively since his arrival. Ward knows opponents will be swatting at the football if they can get close to him this year. Dawson studied every one of those fumbles so he could help Ward improve in that area.
“Ball security is job security in my position,” Ward said. “At the end of the day, I know it’s on me to protect the ball and something I gotta get better at. I’ve been working on it since I got here.”
For anybody that doesn’t understand how significant the talent is around a quarterback, take note that Ward’s QB rating of 145.43, No. 41 in the country, was one spot below the guy he is replacing in Tyler Van Dyke.
Make no mistake, Ward is surrounded by better talent now. And he should be able to show that with the previously mentioned offensive line factored in as well as Oregon State transfer Damien Martinez now spearheading the run game and Houston’s best receiver Sam Brown brought into the fold to join Xavier Restrepo, Jacolby George and company.
The opportunity to show people that he is better than they think was the absolute driver to brought him to Coral Gables. The risk is injury, but beyond that it was a no brainer for Ward to finally decide to come to Miami to head an offense that could/should regularly score in the high 30’s or 40’s in most games.
“There were a lot of sleepless nights just thinking about it,” Ward said. “But I feel good about the decision and I’m excited.”
Van Dyke imploded the second half of last season, yet Dawson’s offense still finished 31st in total yards per game (398) after being 97th in 2022, averaging 347.5 yards per game versus FBS opponents. The Hurricanes improved from 9th in the ACC in total offense in 2022 to second in 2023.
Miami was 42nd nationally in passing yards, averaging 258.0 YPG in 2023. Miami finished 60th nationally in 2022, averaging 239.1 passing yards per game.
The expectation now is that Ward will be more of a stabilizer that will take the offense to the upper echelon of college football this year.
“You want (the starting quarterback) to be a total alpha dog and he is — and he’s in a room with alphas,” Cristobal said. “I think that’s contagious. So far, the part that really stands out for him is as all those things combined, plus he’s really hungry. Like if you get to the building, whatever time you get there, he’ll be the first one here.”
The post OPINION: Can Miami get back to being QB U? appeared first on On3.
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