Mario Cristobal came close to taking Miami back to its glory days last season. But he missed out on a playoff spot despite finishing 10-2 in the regular season. The HC can take credit for one major change for the program: Cristobal redefined the Hurricanes’ recruiting. Miami is seeing repeated success in the NFL draft under Cristobal’s tenure, with his best coming with Cam Ward. The impressive rise of the QB made Cristobal and Miami a wonderful example. Not only that, but he is also an idol worth looking up to among young talent

Not many Division 1 schools offered Ward out of high school. That’s why he chose Incarnate Word as his first CFB home. In a span of just 6 games of the 2020 season, Ward had amassed 2,260 yards and 24 TDs. After that, what happened was history in the making in college football. He made a pit stop at Washington State, where he hauled in 6,966 yards and 48 TDs across 2 years. Cristobal knew what was at stake when Ward entered the transfer portal in 2024. At Miami, Ward bowed out as the third player in the program to go as the No. 1 pick in the draft.

His rise from a zero-star recruit to an elite NFL target is an example that resonates deeply within the campus walls. Mario Cristobal knows that Cam Ward is not just a No. 1 pick from Miami—he was a trailblazer and inspiration. Cristobal attended the National Middle School Invitational Showcase, a camp for young kids. There, he shared an emphatic speech about how diligently and rigorously Cam Ward worked at Miami to spark a fire within these developing athletes. “He was taken one overall because he can change an organization by his attitude, his work ethic, and his impact,” he said, summing up the impact he left on Miami.

“Cam Ward was up there at 5 a.m. every morning, every week, getting ahead on the game plan that he already knew. But he wanted to teach it to his teammates. Cam Ward would come in early with the wide receivers and sit down with them and make sure they were stretching, hydrating, eating, putting the right things in their bodies, and not the wrong things. Making sure they were going to class, so they could be the very best teammates that they could be. Because all he wanted to do was win and represent the University of Miami,” Cristobal said, the impression Ward left on him still fresh to this day.

Ward stunned the big leagues in CFB last year, as he ended his career with 4,313 yards and 39 TDs. His departure left behind a huge void in the program, but not without serving as an inspiration to the next generation of Miami players. He set a bar so high that it is now to be met with his replacement, Carson Beck. He has yet to overwhelmingly win fans’ confidence, but he sure is working his way towards it.

Carson Beck, Cam Ward’s successor, expected to triumph over his flaws at Miami

Experts and fans are united in their comparisons between Carson Beck and his predecessor. He is no Cam Ward. While Ward dazzled college football, the former Georgia QB sputtered through the season. His efforts still allowed Georgia to finish in double digits in 2024. However, his troubling flaws and not being in full health sent Miami fans into worry when Cristobal got him over. Beck’s transfer was one of the biggest talking points of this offseason because he is an elite QB.

His 2023 numbers are proof enough. Cristobal had faith in Beck to at least unleash that potential, if not match up to Cam Ward’s legacy. On3’s J.D. PicKell was high on the new Miami QB to be successful in his new home. “I don’t think that last year was indicative of how good he’s going to be at Miami… I think he gets back to his ways, I think he plays his way back into being a first-round pick,” the analyst said in the July 3 episode of The Hard Count. That 2023 performance remains the baseline for Beck this year.

Beck is getting more than what Ward made at Miami in NIL. This raises the stakes further for his role than it was for his predecessor. A lot of pressure is placed on his shoulders. He not only has to carry forward Cam Ward’s inspirational legacy but also churn out a redemption for himself at Coral Gables.