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Cam Ward (American football)
American football player (born 2002) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Cameron Anthony Ward (born May 25, 2002) is an American professional football quarterback for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Incarnate Word Cardinals, Washington State Cougars, and Miami Hurricanes, winning the 2020 Jerry Rice Award with Incarnate Word and the 2024 Davey O'Brien and Manning awards with Miami. Ward was selected by the Titans first overall in the 2025 NFL draft.
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Early life
Cameron Anthony Ward was born on May 25, 2002, in West Columbia, Texas.[1] His father, Calvin, played football, and his mother, Patrice, coached high school basketball for nearly 25 years.[2] Ward has three siblings.[2]
Ward attended Columbia High School and played basketball and football.[2] As a junior, he completed 72 of 124 passes for 1,070 yards and seven touchdowns for the Columbia football team.[3] As a senior, Ward averaged only 12 pass attempts per game due to playing in Columbia's Wing T offense.[4] He threw for just 948 yards and 8 touchdowns during his last year in high school.[5] Ward committed to play at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, one of only two schools to offer Ward a scholarship for that season, the other being Texas Southern University.[6][7] Some FBS teams showed interest in Ward, but ultimately chose not to offer him a scholarship as they were already committed to their pursuit of higher-ranked quarterback prospects.[8] Due to the system that Ward played under, few knew who he was, and Ward entered college as a zero-star recruit or as an unknown and unlisted recruit on all major recruiting sites as a result.[9][10]
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College career
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Incarnate Word (2020–2021)
Ward began his collegiate career at Incarnate Word. He was named the Cardinals' starting quarterback going into his freshman season, which was played in the spring after being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[11]
Ward threw for 2,260 yards and an FCS-leading 24 touchdowns against four interceptions with two rushing touchdowns in six games during the shortened 2020–21 FCS season, and he won the Jerry Rice Award as the most outstanding freshman in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision.[12] Ward passed for 4,648 yards and 47 touchdowns with 10 interceptions as a sophomore and was named the Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Year.[13] After the end of the season, Ward announced that he would be entering the NCAA transfer portal.[14]
Washington State (2022–2023)
Ward announced his commitment to transfer to Washington State, where his Incarnate Word head Coach Eric Morris had just been hired as offensive coordinator, on January 10, 2022.[15] Ward enrolled at the school for the second semester of his sophomore year and was named the starting quarterback for the 2022 season during the Cougars' spring practices.[16] He completed 64.4% of his passes for 3,231 yards, 23 touchdowns, and nine interceptions while also rushing for five touchdowns.[17] Ward entered the transfer portal on December 1, 2023.[18] He graduated from WSU during their December commencement.[19]
Miami (2024)

Ward initially declared for the 2024 NFL draft following the 2023 season, but later decided to use his remaining eligibility to transfer to Miami for the 2024 season.[20] This decision was influenced by the opportunity to improve his draft stock and take advantage of the NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) rules in college football.[21] Ward announced his commitment to transfer to Miami on January 13, 2024.[22] During the 2024 season, Ward led Miami to a 10–2 record.[23] Miami lost a close shootout at Syracuse during the final week of the season by a score of 42–38. The loss eliminated Miami from the ACC Championship Game, allowing Clemson to make it into the conference championship game instead.[24] Miami finished 13th in the final CFP rankings, and they were the second team out of the playoffs.[25] Ward was named the ACC Player of the Year,[26] voted the Davey O'Brien and Manning Award winner as the top college football quarterback,[27][28] and finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting.[29]
The Hurricanes matched up with the Iowa State Cyclones in the 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl. Playing in just the first half, Ward threw for three touchdowns, setting the career combined FCS (71) and FBS (87) record with 158.[30] He opted to not play in the second half, in which Miami was outscored by Iowa State, ultimately losing 42–41.[30] Ward's decision received some criticism from those who thought that he should have stuck through the game.[31]
Statistics
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Professional career
Ward was selected first overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 2025 NFL draft, becoming the first zero-star recruit to be selected first overall in the 21st century.[35][36] Although his college uniform number 1 was retired by the Titans in honor of Warren Moon, Ward was granted permission to wear it during his introductory press conference.[37]
Personal life
Ward is a Christian.[38] His younger maternal cousin is former Baylor Bears and current Virginia Tech Hokies quarterback Kyron Drones.[39] Ward's older cousins are safety Quandre Diggs and cornerback Quentin Jammer.[40][41]
References
External links
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