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Cam Ward tasked with saving Miami football coach Mario Cristobal's job

By Connor Muldowney

Jul 24, 2024; Charlotte, NC, USA; Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward speaks to the media during the ACC Kickoff at Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 24, 2024; Charlotte, NC, USA; Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward speaks to the media during the ACC Kickoff at Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports / Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
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There is no tougher task in college football than clawing your way off the hot seat. We've seen it happen over the years and two major cases come to mind in recent memory: Jim Harbaugh and Mike Norvell. Both head coaches were on the verge of being run out of town before winning big.

Miami football coach Mario Cristobal is hoping to follow in their footsteps.

The third-year head coach has just a 12-13 overall record through his first two seasons with the storied Miami football program and that's just not good enough. Fans are growing rather restless, especially since this comes on the heels of the forgettable Manny Diaz era. Hurricane fans are expecting an "ACC title or bust" season in 2024 and if Cristobal can't deliver, he could be out.

However, Cristobal did help himself out in a big way, landing top quarterback transfer Cam Ward along with a backfield mate in Damien Martinez who had over 1,000 rushing yards in 2023.

But Ward faces arguably the toughest task of any starting quarterback in the nation this season: saving his head coach's job.

Ward comes to Miami as one of the best quarterbacks from the transfer portal and he spent the last two seasons at Washington State following a successful start to his career in the FCS at Incarnate Word. With the Cougars, he passed for 6,968 yards and 48 touchdowns with 16 picks and a 66 percent completion rate. He also had 13 rushing touchdowns.

Did I mention that Ward put up these video game-like numbers at Washington State? That just means he should improve on them at Miami with even more weapons in a better offense.

The weight of the world will be on his shoulders, however. He knows the expectations placed on Miami ahead of the 2024 season with him and Martinez coming to town. Ward knows that he must lead the program to ACC title contention or Cristobal could be out of a job in 2025.

Pressure is once again on Ward's shoulders and if he can get the job done, he might just be the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy come December.

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