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Blue-Grey Football Alumni Update: Cam Ward
Posted On 08 Nov 2024
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Notre Dame alum Julian Love (left), Miami alum Cam Ward (middle), Texas Tech alum Patrick Mahomes (right) are among many past participants of the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl.
Plenty of prospects, some of them high-profile, others under-the-radar, have come and gone in the past decade or so, since the inception of the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl. Still, the talent level across the board on the national scene has been about as good as it gets.
Things don’t figure to change anytime soon, as the hype continues to build and build for this year’s games, this first on Dec. 16 at Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium with an encore at the venue on Jan. 13, also another at Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Raymond James Stadium on Jan. 27.
To gain a better understanding about the rapidly growing direction of things, perhaps now it’s best to take some time to reflect on the humble beginnings. Therefore, moving forward, the plan is to more closely examine the brand’s many alumni from all over the country.
The focus this time around is on Cam Ward from Columbia (TX). The attention is warranted too, when considering, as a member of the Class of 2020, his name was firmly in the conversation for Offensive MVP as West defeated East, 30-27, at AT&T Stadium.
Regardless of the competition, all eyes have been on Ward, ever since. The 6-foot-2 and 223-pound senior quarterback remains in the spotlight, only now with Miami. He’ll be in action against Georgia Tech on Nov. 11 in an ACC game at 12 p.m. (EST).
Ward and his teammates enter the showdown with plenty of momentum after last week’s 53-31 conference victory over Duke. He finished 24-of-41 with 400 passing yards and five touchdowns. He was unstoppable, most times. The Blue Devils had no answer for him.
It’s been that way all year long. In fact, Ward is now being considered as frontrunner to win the Heisman Trophy, along with Travis Hunter from Colorado and Ashton Jeanty from Boise State. That’s some esteemed company, obviously. The recognition is warranted too.
In Week 5, a 38-34 conference win against Virginia Tech, he was 24-of-38 with 343 passing yards and five touchdowns, one rushing. In Week 6, a 39-38 conference victory over Cal, Ward ended up 35-0f-53 with 437 passing yards and three touchdowns, one on the ground.
In Week 3, a 62-0 nonconference win against Ball State, he was 19-of-28 with 346 passing yards and five touchdowns. Perhaps then, Ward grabbed the nation’s attention. Whatever the case, once he steps on the field, all eyes have been on him this year.
The production should come as little, or no surprise to those that have followed his journey. What a ride it’s been for him, worth noting. We’re talking about a one-time Incarnate Word pledge, turned Pac-12 Conference target and ultimately Washington State commit.
Back in 2020 with Incarnate Word, Ward won the Jerry Rice Award as the most outstanding freshman in Division I FCS. A year later with Cardinals, he finished 384-of-590 with 4,648 passing yards and 48 touchdowns, one rushing, also a 154.2 passer rating.
Fast forward to 2022 with the Cougars, now on one of the biggest stages around in FBS, he totaled 3,231 passing yards and 28 touchdowns, five rushing. One season after at Washington State, Ward had 3,735 passing yards with 32 touchdowns, eight on the ground.
Of course, that kind of success led to the opportunity at Miami. Ward has taken advantage, to be sure. It’s within reason that his name could be in the running for either the Davey O’Brien Award or Manning Award, annually given to the nation’s top quarterback.
The future is bright. An invite to the NFL Scouting Combine seems a near certainty. There’s talk of him being a potential Top 10 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft as well. One thing is undisputable, not long ago, Ward lined up in the brand’s All-American Bowl in Texas.
