Well, college football fans will remember the former Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward through one version. As rightly pointed out by Mario Cristobal, “Cam Ward, one of one, instinctive, and relentless. The guy just wants to win. He wants his teammates to do well. He’s a program changer. I don’t know where to start, and I don’t know where we stop, but he embodies everything you want as a team leader and your quarterback.”

No doubt, his talents gave him wings. And Ward went off the racks as the No.1 pick to the Tennessee Titans in the 2025 NFL Draft. Even though he could not bag the Heisman Trophy, he was the first Hurricane to be a Heisman finalist since 2002. But why are the Miami players still talking about their old mate even when they must start bonding with the new one in the hood? Former Georgia quarterback Carson Beck has filled the spot, but his new teammates are still not over the Cam Ward era. That’s what you call charm. 

Right now, Beck’s 345lbs offensive tackle, Markel Bell, is still swooning over the heartfelt gesture that came from Ward. On the June 11th episode of the Storm Sessions segment of the Miami Hurricanes podcast, Bell was invited as the guest of the evening. The host, Danny Enriquez, immediately spotted a blingy chain on Bell’s neck. Inquisitive about the accessory, the host asked, “So I gotta ask you about the chain you got on because apparently there’s a story behind that one. So tell me, how’d you get that chain?” And immediately, Beck’s mate flashed a big smile. Bell then said. “It was during the season, and Cam had invited us to Paris Steakhouse up here, not too far from school. But he invited us, man. It was a normal day. Then he said a bunch of guys come out the back. With a chain with our numbers on.”

He continued, “So we just going all crazy man there, and it hit the internet. They were dragging it, saying you spent like 3.5 million on the chain, and so man, it’s real awesome man, real cool cause I had never had anybody do that anything for me. So I’m real grateful for him doing it for me.” Back in November last year, Ward reigned on the NIL front. His valuation stood at approximately 2.1 million back then. That’s when he dropped some of his NIL cash to pamper his teammates. This was Ward’s way of uplifting his teammates’ moods. After all, the Hurricanes were coming off a devastating loss to Georgia Tech, which had its first win over a top-five opponent since 2009. While Bell and co. were expecting a sumptuous meal, Ward arrived with a round dish. Was there any food? 

No. Instead, the QB had placed blingy chains encrusted with diamonds. Now that Ward has flown off to the NFL, these moments feel like treasures. As Bell shared how he feels grateful to have shared the same timeline with Ward. “Man, I’m just really grateful to be to block for him. I always say, just anybody who’s back there, I’m grateful to be their old line. But man, just him as a person as well, he’s just amazing to be around and it gives me somebody to look up to. I’m saying I can look up to him because he’s so good as a person.” Now that Beck is here, can Bell expect the same sort of bonding?  

Hot expectations from Carson Beck as he walks into Cam Ward’s shadow

Walking into Miami, Beck has stepped into a bed of hot coal. After all, the ceiling is already high for him. Thanks to his predecessor, Ward. While the former quarterback had a more or less clean slate in Cristobal’s squad, Beck is walking in with a lot of baggage. For his stunted performance on the gridiron, the ex-Georgia quarterback got the benefit of the doubt. As Greg McElroy said, “What’s amazing to me, though, is that there are so many people that have pointed all of Carson Beck’s flaws out without acknowledging the inconsistencies of not just his wide receiver core, which led the country in drops.” However, his off-the-field moves came with a stern warning.

As Georgia alumnus Aaron Murray shared, “So you’re still talking about a guy even with how bad last year went at times, probably still would have been somewhere in that second or third round if he didn’t get hurt. I love the fact that he came back. That’s obviously going to improve his draft stock when it’s all said and done. I don’t like all the distractions. I don’t like what I’ve heard from the locker room, that at times he was not one of the guys in the locker room, that was more concerned with making Tik Toks. Or being with his celebrity girlfriend. Obviously the drama in the offseason with said girlfriend and everything else is like, if I’m an NFL GM or coach or offensive coordinator, I need my quarterback locked in.” However, amidst all this hoopla, one off-the-field success is always celebrated. That’s the NIL. 

On3’s Pete Nakos reported that Beck will make in excess of $4 million to play for the Miami Hurricanes this fall. Want to know the exact figures? The Bobby Carpenter Show host Anthony Schlegel reported that the numbers will go up to $4.3 million in June. That places Ward’s successor just after Arch Manning, who stands at $6.5 million. Before joining the NFL, Ward’s NIL valuation stood at $2.1 million. So, Markel Bell and crew might be in for a treat from Beck — but the real question is, can his heart match the size of Cam Ward’s?