Mario Cristobal: Cam Ward's impact is 'magical' at Miami

Miami head coach Mario Cristobal has nothing but compliments for Cam Ward. Ahead of the Hurricanes’ showdown against Virginia Tech on Friday, Cristobal raved about the Miami QB.

“In every aspect, he’s magical as a player, as a leader,” Cristobal said. “He’s an alpha dog and his personality, his mentality, they match what he does on the field.

“When you go put those things together, the strength of his leadership grows. He’s brought a lot to the table, and looking forward to him having a great game tonight.”

Cam Ward transferred to Miami ahead of the 2024 campaign and has been nothing short of spectacular for the Hurricanes. Through four games, Ward has completed 72.4% of his pass attempts for 1,439 yards and 14 touchdowns while only throwing two interceptions.

In turn, Miami is 4-0 and on track to make its first appearance in the College Football Playoff. While Ward’s impact on Miami this season can’t be understated, he isn’t the only one responsible for the program’s surge of success.

“I just like the fact that this team loves to work,” Cristobal said. “They love to get after it. They’re always talking about and working on improvement. There’s a tremendous appetite for betterment. And I feel like we’re just getting started.”

On Friday, Cristobal will find out if his team’s hard work has paid dividends. The Hokies are 2-2 in the 2024 campaign but were one of the favorites to win the ACC in the preseason. In short, they’re not a team to be taken lightly. Cristobal certainly isn’t overlooking them.

“They’re the best team we played so far, by far, and their record is not indicative of what they are,” Cristobal said. “We all know they were the preseason favorites to win this conference and to go to the playoffs.

“They’ve got a great defensive line, really disruptive. The corners are elite football players — long, can run. Offensive line is massive. They get downhill in the run game and they stretch out the perimeter. So, they got a great football team.”