How Cam Ward’s unorthodox rise shaped him: ‘I’m not worried about no spotlight’

Ben Arthur

NFL Reporter

INDIANAPOLIS — Cam Ward took questions about the myriad of teams he could land with at the top of the draft next month. On the Titans, who have the No. 1 pick, the Miami quarterback said he’d be “plug and play.” With the Browns, who have the second selection, he thinks it would “work out [well].” He mentioned he’d be “lucky” to go to the Raiders and play for Pete Carroll, whom he views as a legendary coach. Ward also noted that it would be “elite” to land with the Jets, a team he views as just a couple pieces away from contention.

But when asked about the Giants, who Ward said he had a great meeting with at the NFL Combine, a reporter took it a step further: How would you handle the spotlight that comes with being in New York?

His response spoke to his unconventional journey to get to this point.

“I’m not worried about no spotlight,” Ward said Friday. “There was one time in my life where I wasn’t in the spotlight. It’s crazy to see how everything can change.”

Of the top quarterbacks in this year’s draft class, Ward is the only one who was not ranked coming out of high school. At Columbia High in West Columbia, Texas, he played in a Wing-T offense, which limited his throwing opportunities. His only scholarship offer was from the University of the Incarnate Word, an FCS school in San Antonio.

He was named the Southland Conference offensive player of the year in his second and final season at UIW, where he was also a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, given to the most outstanding player in the FCS. Ward then posted 61 total touchdowns in two seasons at Washington State. This past year at Miami, he set single-season program records for passing yards (4,313) and touchdowns (39) en route to winning the 2024 Davey O’Brien Award, given annually to the best quarterback in college football.

Ward broke the Division I record — FBS and FCS — with 158 career touchdown passes. His 18,819 career passing yards rank third in NCAA history.

“Coming from my journey, not a lot of people can do that,” Ward said, “so I just think it shows the work that I’m willing to put in whether I go first round or second round. At the end of the day, that draft pick don’t mean nothing. It’s all about establishing yourself once you get the opportunity.

“I just think me getting to experience different culture changes, different atmospheres, traveling across the country, it’s going to end up helping me in the long run,” he added. “At the end of the day, you never know where football will take you.”

Ward pointed to his private quarterback coach, Darrell Colbert Jr., as being instrumental in his development over the past several years, helping to fine-tune his process in the pocket. Also working with fellow top quarterback prospect Shedeur Sanders, Colbert began training Ward after his freshman season at Incarnate Word.

The quarterback’s knack for throwing from various arm slots jumped out from the beginning.

“He’s different. He’s not the normal guy,” Colbert told FOX Sports last month. “I was like, ‘S—, that’s what makes him him. That’s who he is.’ So I’m like, ‘Hell nah, I’m not changing [anything]. … We’re going to perfect how you throw. We’re going to perfect the ways you do everything with all the different arm angles.’

“That’s what kind of helped our relationship grow as well,” he continued, “me not trying to be a guy who completely changes who he is. We were able to build off that.”

Ward has progressed to the point where many in league circles believe he’s the top passer in this year’s draft.

“At the end of the day, the camera is going to find you if you’re the franchise quarterback somewhere,” Ward said. “So I just put my head down and I work every day. In the long run, it’s going to pay off.”

The spotlight is just now catching up.

Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.

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