Cam Ward makes waves as Miami QB named to Davey O'Brien Watch List, boosting Hurricanes' CFP hopes

The Miami Hurricanes are receiving a lot of hype due to the presence of quarterback Cam Ward, who is being tabbed as a huge difference-maker for the upcoming season. On Thursday, he was named to the prestigious Davey O'Brien Preseason Watch List, which has 36 players.

He has received plenty of attention during preseason, being named to various watch lists, including the Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, Preseason ACC Player of the Year and first-team All-ACC.

Cam Ward is one of the most talented returning quarterbacks, as his average of 311.3 passing yards in 2023 ranks him No.1 in the returning class. Last season, he was No. 4 in passing yards behind Bo Nix, Jayden Daniels and Michael Penix Jr. who have since entered the NFL.

Ward was a highly recruited prospect in the transfer portal when he decided to leave Washington State last year. He threw for 6,963 yards, resulting in 48 touchdowns across 25 games for the Cougars.

Cam Ward battles heightened expectations

The Miami Hurricanes recruited Cam Ward extensively, with coach Mario Cristobal pulling out all the stops when the quarterback visited the campus with his family in December. The feel-good environment around the program is largely due to a stellar portal window and Ward's talent. "Cane Sports" analyst Gary Ferman addressed the heightened expectations around Ward on an On3 roundtable on August 6.

“Well they’ve already named him the ACC Player of the Year Kaiden, so I don’t know that the expectations could be any higher,” Ferman said. “To me that’s a little unfair just because he hasn’t played a single play at Miami. But he’s meant the world to this program, he really has not just on the field but off the field.

“He’s an exceptional leader and maybe hasn’t had the chance to show everything he brings to the table as much because he was out at Washington State with a very average football team. He’s gonna be surrounded by far greater talent at Miami than he has at any point in his career.”

The quarterback has smoothly transitioned into the 'Air-raid' system favored by Hurricanes offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson, which has made his adaptation to Cristobal's team much easier. The Miami coach has already stressed several times to reporters during Fall camp that Ward is a ready and willing leader in the dressing room.

The Miami Hurricanes are considered one of the favorites for the ACC championship game, and in the era of an expanded college football playoff, Cam Ward's form could lead the storied program back to the limelight.