Miami quarterback Cam Ward named in the top 10 Heisman Trophy candidates
The 2024 fall football season is less than a two months away, and it’s never too early to see how some of the top programs in college football will prepare inaugural expanded 12-team playoff field, coupled with realignment affecting every major conference.
With On3 releasing a Top 10 Heisman Trophy Candidates in 2024, Miami Hurricanes quarterback was named in the top 10 with him being slated at No. 6 behind Ole Miss quarterback Jackson Dart and Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe.
Ward might not end up in New York as a Heisman finalist. Miami history at the position suggests he will not. The Hurricanes have not had a Heisman Trophy finalist at quarterback since Gino Toretta in 1992.
But it’s still possible for Ward to carry more momentum into October than Van Dyke did. If he’s still in the conversation for the coveted award come, say, Halloween, that would be longer than Van Dyke was a factor, would be wildly successful for Ward and would likely mean fruitful team success for Miami.
Ward, a true dual-threat QB, attempted 485 passes in 2023. He also was credited with 120 rushing attempts that year. He had 3,735 total yards and 25 total touchdowns. For reference, Oregon’s Bo Nix had 4,373 total yards and 43 total touchdowns and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. had 4,200 total yards and 36 total touchdowns on their way to being named Heisman finalists this year.
We won’t throw LSU QB Jayden Daniels‘ stats into this discussion because he was in a league of his own this year, but it just goes to show that Ward’s best year of his career was not far off from the seasons Nix and Penix just had. And, because their teams went a combined 24-2 with the only two losses being games played against each other, they were the Saturday staples in terms of driving college football dialogue.
Ward could be exactly that for Miami.
Trinton is the owner of CanesToday. He writes for all sports, with a focus on football and recruiting, he is a freshman in high school and wants to graduate from the University of Miami
