Miami pulls Cam Ward, changes quarterback in Pop Tarts Bowl

On By Littum

Cam Ward picked up right where he left off Miami offense in the Pop Tarts Bowl and scored 31 points. But when the Hurricanes got the ball to start the second half, head coach Mario Cristobal decided to make a quarterback change. Ward is out as Emory Williams has taken over to end the game against Iowa State.

As the ESPN broadcast said when the decision was made, no one would have blamed Ward if he had decided to opt out of the bowl game. The quarterback will likely be one of the top players selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, potentially in the top five. An extra fight against Iowa State would not change the evaluation of Ward at this point in the process.

Avoiding injury is usually the main reason players decide to opt out of the bowl games. Ward made it through the first half healthy, but decided not to test his luck further. The final two quarters will be in the hands of Williams.

Ward finished the game completing 12 of 19 passes, going for 190 yards and three touchdowns. Miami scored at will with him out there, a common theme for the program this season. A bit of history was even made along the way.

The job now for Ward is to cheer on his teammates from the sidelines. With only one season to spend with Miami, might as well soak it all in before his main focus in life becomes preparing for the next level.

NFL scout explains why teams will ‘fall in love’ with Cam Ward

Ward is expected to be one of the first quarterbacks to hear their name called in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.

ESPN’s Matt Miller, an NFL Draft analyst, has strong thoughts on the Hurricanes’ signal calling. Ward isn’t his best quarterback in the cycle, but Miller believes Ward’s explosive and exciting brand of football will be attractive to NFL teams during the pre-draft cycle.

“Cam Ward is going to be the player that scouts, general managers, coaches are going to fall in love with,” Miller said during an appearance on SportsCenter Saturday morning. “He’s my No. 2 quarterback, but he’s just a little bit behind Shedeur Sanders.

“They’re completely different players, though. Cam Ward is a playmaker. He’s got a big arm, he’ll move around the pocket to find ideal passing windows, he’ll rip it with speed down the field, and if it’s there, he’ll he also kicks you.”

On3’s Barkley Truax contributed to this report