From doubted to no doubt: Miami QB Cam Ward picked No. 1 overall in 2025 NFL draft

Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald on Apr 24, 2025

Published in Football

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

Cam Ward didn’t have to wait too long on Thursday for his dream to become a reality.

Commissioner Roger Goodell walked to the stage at the start of the 2025 NFL draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and delivered the news that has been expected for some time now but was finally reality.

“With the first pick in the 2025 NFL draft, the Tennessee Titans select Cameron Ward, quarterback, University of Miami.”

Ward is just the third player in Miami Hurricanes history to be selected No. 1 overall, joining quarterback Vinny Testaverde (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1987) and defensive tackle Russell Maryland (Dallas Cowboys, 1991).

Meanwhile, Testaverde and Jim Kelly (No. 14 to the Buffalo Bills in 1983) were the only Hurricanes quarterbacks to ever be selected in the first round before Ward on Thursday.

And he is Miami’s first first-round at any position since 2021 when Jaelan Phillips went No. 18 to the Miami Dolphins and Greg Rousseau went No. 30 to the Bills.

Ward cemented his spot as the draft’s top player with a breakout season in his lone year with the Hurricanes, which only came because he was projected to be a late-round pick if he had entered the draft last year and wanted to improve his draft stock.

After spending the first four seasons of his college career split between FCS-level Incarnate Word and Washington State, then of the Pac-12, Ward set the Hurricanes’ single-season school records for completions (305), passing yards (4,313), passing touchdowns (39) and completion percentage (67.2%) en route to being a finalist for the Heisman Trophy.

For his five-year college football career, Ward’s had 18,189 passing yards and 158 passing touchdowns — breaking Case Keenum’s record of 155 for most in a career at the Division I level — against 53 interceptions.

It all paid off in the end for Ward.