Why Florida State, not Miami, would be the best landing spot for transfer QB Cam Ward

Cam Ward is the bell of the ball in the Transfer Portal right now. 

Miami, Florida State, Washington, USC, Auburn and Ohio State have all expressed interest in the former Washington State quarterback, and Ward just wrapped up a visit with the Hurricanes and is set to be on campus at FSU the next few days.

And while quarterbacks can’t go wrong teaming up with Lincoln Riley or Ryan Day, this looks like a battle between the two Sunshine State rivals for perhaps the best available gun-slinger in the portal. A decision is expected to come sometime in the next week or two. 

"I would say Miami is the favorite."

— Portal Insider @PeteNakos_ on Cam Ward coming off his visit to Miami

MORE: https://t.co/e75VgrB3fg pic.twitter.com/eJM78TPNFV

— Josh Newberg (@josh_newberg) December 13, 2023

Coming off his visit to Coral Gables, Miami is seen as the frontrunner for Ward’s services, per On3’s Pete Nakos.

That union would make plenty of sense. 

Ward has developed into an Air Raid all-star under now-North Texas head coach Eric Morris and Cougars OC Ben Arbuckle, and Hurricanes’ OC Shannon Dawson runs a very similar scheme. 

So the fit would be seamless, and Ward would get the opportunity to play for a nominal contender in 2024, albeit not one that’s projected to be ready to compete for a College Football Playoff berth just yet even in a 12-team field. Miami returns a deep wide receiver room (All-ACC wideout Xavier Restrepo, Jacolby George, and several promising underclassmen/freshmen) and should have a solid offensive line with the continued growth of a future NFL tackle in Francis Mauigoa. 

And yet, there really shouldn’t be any debate here if Ward wants to truly improve his NFL Draft stock while starring for a contender in 2024. 

pic.twitter.com/0oMJr9eyDl

— 🏆🏆🏆 Canes Legacy🏆🏆 (@Titan_Cane) December 13, 2023

There’s no doubt dinners at Prime 112 and hanging out with The Boss Rick Ross down on South Beach would be awesome, but Florida State would provide Ward the exact type of runaway to continue his development under a pair of offensive coaches with strong track records. The NIL package would be comparable and he’d be on a legitimate ACC contender. 

I’m not here to denigrate Mario Cristobal’s history with quarterbacks. Rather, this is about Ward’s opportunity to work with Mike Norvell and Alex Atkins, both of whom did wonders in molding Jordan Travis from a gadget runner into a quarterback so essential to his team that FSU was left out of the College Football Playoff as an undefeated ACC Champion. 

Why FSU, and not Miami, would be the best choice for Cam Ward

Cam Ward ran the Wing-T in high school. His development to this point is already a win. He tore up the FCS at Incarnate Ward, throwing for 4,648 yards and 47 touchdowns in 2021. After an adjustment season in the FBS in 2022, Ward finished No. 6 nationally in total offense this past fall, accounting for just under 3,900 yards with 33 total touchdowns and a 67% completion. 

But part of the reason the 6-2, 225-pound isn’t jumping to the NFL just yet is because there’s still room for his game to grow. And if he goes to Florida State, he would be operating in a spread system much more akin to what is being run in the NFL. 

Ward would also be joining a program (and a head coach) that has a lengthy history now of getting the most out of transfers. Travis is Norvell’s shining example, but transfers like Jared Verse, Keon Coleman, Johnny Wilson, Jaheim Bell, Braden Fiske, Trey Benson and a host of offensive linemen were the backbone of FSU’s team in 2023. 

And guess who’s likely to be active in the portal again this offseason?

Cristobal is looking to get Miami’s program back to national relevancy. Ward would absolutely help that goal, but FSU is already there and the ‘Noles, while maybe not an undefeated ACC champ again in 2024, aren’t going anywhere. They have young playmakers like Hykeem Williams and Vandrevius Jacobs ready for bigger roles and Atkins can assemble a strong OL as well as any assistant coach in the country. 

Cam Ward only has good options here. He’s living in a rich man’s world with a rich man’s decision. But from this vantage point, his best move would be to take his talents to Tallahassee over South Beach.