3 Thoughts on Washington State football adding elite QB Cameron Ward
Washington State football added elite quarterback Cameron Ward from the transfer portal and here are three thoughts on a game-changing move for the Cougars.
The Washington State football program went through plenty of ups and downs during the 2021 season, but despite having their head coach fired, the Cougars put together a solid season and advanced to the Sun Bowl.
Jake Dickert, who was the interim head coach, was given the title of permanent head coach after posting a slew of wins down the stretch and now, in his first full offseason as head coach, Dickert and Washington State football have made a major splash.
Even if some in the college football world don’t know it.
The 2022 transfer portal is loaded with talented quarterbacks and one of the most talented, perhaps the most talented is Cameron Ward — a quarterback some fans probably had never heard of until recently or at all.
But college football coaches all across the country knew about Ward. Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss had him in for a secret visit after he entered the portal and other big-time programs offered the standout from Incarnate Word.
Yet, Washington State football had an ace up its sleeve. Dickert hired Incarnate Word’s head coach Eric Morris to be the Cougars offensive coordinator and that proved to be the ticket to landing quite possibly the biggest sleeper in the 2022 transfer portal.
It’s been a while since Washington State football was truly relevant in the Pac-12 conference but it’s possible that will change with Ward and here are three thoughts on his addition.
A truly elite talent
It’s been a long time since Washington State football had a game-changing quarterback and the last one was probably Ryan Leaf back in the late 1990s.
Ward wasn’t a highly-touted recruit coming out of high school but part of it had to do with the run-heavy offense he was playing in. But after two years at Incarnate Word, it’s clear that Cameron Ward is an elite talent and some even suggested he was the top quarterback in the transfer portal.
“I’ve had FBS personnel tell me Cameron Ward is a ‘borderline generational talent,’” 247’s Chris Hummer said to Cougfan.com earlier this week.
Ward is ranked as the No. 4 quarterback in the transfer portal according to 247 sports with only Caleb Williams, Jaxson Dart, and Quinn Ewers rated ahead of him. So while he was unranked coming out of high school, he’s a high-ranking four-star which is the kind of quarterback Washington State football has rarely, if ever landed in recruiting.
The Cougars did sign Cammon Cooper who just left via the transfer portal to Hawaii, and he was a four-star but Ward is the kind of talent that not only can get drafted down the line but has a shot at contending in the 2022 Heisman Trophy race.
Gardner Minshew of course finished fifth in 2018, but that was the perfect combination of the Mike Leach offense and Minshew’s talent. Ward is a different QB, one that Cougars sincerely have not had in over 20 years.