Heisman Trophy hopeful Cam Ward brings optimism to Miami as it seeks first ACC Championship

Updated Jul. 24, 2024 4:13 p.m. ET

Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Miami Hurricanes have never won the Atlantic Coast Conference football championship.

New quarterback Cam Ward is out to change that.

Ward, who transferred from Washington State following the collapse of the Pac-12, is already receiving Heisman Trophy consideration from BetMGM Sportsbook, and his arrival has created a buzz in Miami, where the Hurricanes are hoping to take a big step forward after going 12-13 in two seasons under coach Mario Cristobal.

“It would mean a lot to me, especially because of how bad I want to win,” Ward said. “I haven’t won anything tremendous at the Power 5 level and that’s something I really want to do is win a championship.”

The 6-foot-2, 223-pound Ward spent two years at Incarnate Word, an FCS school, then transferred to Washington State before the 2022 season. He threw for 3,732 yards, 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions while rushing for eight TDs in 2023 to earn all-conference honorable mention for the second straight season.

He joins a Miami offense that could use a shot in the arm.

The Hurricanes finished 31st in the nation in total offense (431.2 yards per game) and 42nd in passing offense (258 yards per game).

Ward will need to make the transition from playing in an air-raid style offense at Washington State to Miami's more balanced offensive attack, but Cristobal doesn't see that being a problem.

“You're looking at a very high football IQ guy that continues to evolve,” Cristobal said. “Sometimes it’s unfair to pigeonhole a guy into being just an air raid guy. ... The morphing of our system allows a guy like Cam to maximize (his) abilities, right? Whether it be in the run game, whether it be in the screen game, the passing game, we feel there’s a lot of different ways we can attack opponents.”

Ward replaces three-year starter Tyler Van Dyke, who transferred to Wisconsin.

"It's been a perfect marriage," said Ward, a dual-threat quarterback with 135 career all-purpose touchdowns during his four-year college career. “They are going to let me throw the ball a lot, but we are also going to run the ball efficiently. I feel like what I didn't have at other schools was the balanced attack. I think we will be able to do that.”

Ward spent time watching Cam Newton and Michael Vick growing up, but said he now studies Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers.

“I like to classify myself as a playmaking pocket passer,” Ward said.

Wake Forest QB undecided

Wake Forest was one of only two teams at the ACC media days this week that did not invite a quarterback to attend, which speaks to the uncertainty surrounding the position.

Head coach Dave Clawson said transfer Hank Bachmeier and Michael Kern are the frontrunners for the starting job.

Bachmeier played four seasons at Boise State and one at Louisiana Tech, so he has plenty of experience. Kern took over as the team’s starter late last season after Mitch Griffis was benched, but failed to win a game for the Demon Deacons.

“We told Michael if he came back he would have a chance to compete for the job and we told Hank if he came to Wake Forest he would have a chance,” Clawson said. “Right now, I see those as the two primary competitors for it, but I wouldn’t eliminate this early that someone else can emerge.”

Avoiding that hit

Louisville defensive back Quincy Riley won the South Carolina AAAA state championship in the 100 and 200 meters and was named the state's track athlete of the year in 2019. With all of that running, Riley was asked Wednesday why he doesn't aspire to be a running back.

“Really don’t want to get hit — I am small,” the 6-foot, 195-pound Riley said with a laugh. “Running was fun for me. I just switched over to (defensive back). I thought it was more fun. New technique, a hard position to learn. I feel like it’s a challenge for me.”

Motivated by poor finish

Louisville coach Jeff Brohm said his players are drawing motivation from losing their last three games, including the ACC championship to Florida State.

“I think because of that, there’s a lot of things to learn, a lot of areas to improve,” Brohm said. “I think it’s caused the hunger to get back in right away and understand if you want to be really good, you have to beat big-time opponents and find a way to win close games.”

Following in dad's footsteps

Boston College offensive lineman Drew Kendall is following in the footsteps of his father Pete.

Pete Kendall also played for Boston College before being drafted in the first round by the Seattle Seahawks in 1996 and starting 188 games over the course of a 12-year NFL career.

Drew Kendall has developed into one of the ACC's top-rated offensive linemen and is expected to be drafted, too.

“He has coached me ever since I put on pads,” Drew Kendall said of his father. “He didn’t let me play until fourth grade, which was earlier than he would have liked, to be honest. That’s when he was retired so that he could coach me. ... I’ve been truly lucky to have him as a coach. He’s incredibly experienced, knows everything about football, especially offensive line play.”

Staying at Duke

Safety Jaylen Stinson decided to test the transfer portal, but then wound up returning to Duke after hearing new head coach Manny Diaz speak.

“When Manny got to come to the front and talk to us, tell us his plan, what he had planned for this team, it just built confidence in us as a whole as far as like the locker room,” Stinson said. “We knew he wanted to do the right thing with us, we could trust him as a coach. I know that he would take this program in the right direction.”

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