Hurricanes QB Cam Ward will be in spotlight in 2024. Low-key lifestyle keeps him grounded

Cam Ward understands the expectation and the hype that comes with the position he’s in.

He’s going to be thrust into the limelight this season as the quarterback who could potentially lead the Miami Hurricanes back to relevance. He spurned the NFL Draft for one final year of college football, one final opportunity to showcase his skills. He’s regarded as a contender for the Heisman Trophy and a primary reason why the Hurricanes are regarded as a contender in the Atlantic Coast Conference and beyond in 2024.

How Ward handles the outside noise might be just as important as what he can do on the field.

If you ask Ward, though, there isn’t much to worry about on that front. It’s just not in his personality to focus on any of that. He’s confident yet humble. He’s doesn’t seek the attention that will naturally come with his position. In fact, Ward is perfectly comfortable being a homebody when he’s not on the football field.

“I like to stay home with my Rottweiler and chill,” Ward said Wednesday at the ACC Football Kickoff in Charlotte, North Carolina, of his 2-year-old, 135-pound pup Uno Chop Ward. “Miami is good because if you want to do something, you can. I’m a big fisherman. I’ve been fishing since I was a little kid at home. Got a chance to go Mahi fishing. I am going fishing once I go back home [Thursday]. Miami has a lot of things. I feel where people get carried away is when they try to do too much in places like Miami. Me having the background that I do — not wanting to do too much — that’s going to help me in this position because I know what I want to get out of football and I know what I want to get out of life.”

What he wants to get out of football is simple: An opportunity at the NFL. He almost took that chance this year before deciding to play one more college season after two seasons at FCS Incarnate Word and two more at Washington State.

“The NFL isn’t going anywhere,” Ward said, adding that the process of deciding between the league and another year of college football was “stressful” but that he still felt he had more to prove.

To do that, Ward said his focus is to “really just keep my feet on the ground” and prioritize his success on the field.

He’s pretty good there and has the traits Miami desired in a quarterback.

There’s the pure skill, with his ability to make plays both with his arm and his feet. In two years at Washington State, Ward completed 65.5 percent of his passes for 6,963 yards and 48 touchdowns and ran for another 13 touchdowns.

“Everyone saw his talent,” Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal said. “The whole country wanted him. He’s a superior arm talent, accuracy, playmaking ability, extending plays — that’s the common stuff, right? The most impressive thing we saw on tape was a guy that when things didn’t go well, or if he would make a mistake, the way he would bounce back and take his competitiveness and his effectiveness and productivity to another level. That’s what we love about him. Watching him in person, his ability to be an alpha leader, the presence and the command he has a room of all huddle on the field, in the meeting room and in the locker room after practice is really impressive. You always want really good leadership. And if you have one that is gifted enough and is blessed enough to be able to do it vocally, verbally as well as by example and then back it up with performance, it’s special.”

The Hurricanes understand their success this season, which starts Aug. 30 against the Florida Gators in Gainesville, will likely center on Ward’s success. And Miami needs to see the success on the field after going 5-7 and 7-6 in Cristobal’s first two seasons leading his alma mater.

Ward has taken that responsibility head on, starting with his first day of spring camp and continuing all the way through the summer.

“He’s setting the tone by making it known that he wants to win,” fifth-year offensive lineman Jalen Rivers said. “His main priority is, if we want to have a winning season, he’s going to have to step in and be the quarterback we want him to be and what we see him as. When he came in, we clicked right away.”

Now, the focus shifts to fall camp. In just over a month, the season begins. The focus externally will be on Ward. The focus for Ward will be on the games.

And blocking the outside noise.

“Really that’s just how I was raised,” Ward said. “I don’t get too high. I don’t get too low. Even on the football field. At the end of the day, the only thing that’s going to take care of myself and my family is making plays on football. Everyone’s opinion of myself really doesn’t matter to me or my family. At this point and this time of my life, I’m more focused on trying to win football games with the team around me.”