Cam Ward might not have had a long list of college offers out of high school, but he’s now staring down a dream few ever get to live; he’s the overwhelming favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. And it all started in West Columbia, Texas.
At Columbia High School, Ward was tucked inside a run-heavy Wing T offense that didn’t give him many chances to air it out. He averaged just 12 pass attempts per game as a senior and threw for 1,070 yards and 7 touchdowns as a junior. Still, he showed flashes of talent and leadership. His lone college offer came from the University of the Incarnate Word, and he took it.
Turns out, that was all he needed.
Ward burst onto the college football scene at UIW, winning the 2020 Jerry Rice Award as the top freshman in the FCS after throwing 2,260 yards and 24 touchdowns in just six games. He followed that up with a ridiculous sophomore campaign: 4,648 yards and 47 touchdowns. That was enough to call Power Five schools, and Ward hit the transfer portal.
Washington State got the win there, landing Ward as their new QB1. He posted back-to-back solid seasons in Pullman, throwing for over 3,000 yards each year and combining for 48 touchdowns. After graduating in December 2023, Ward flirted with entering the NFL Draft, but decided to take one more college shot, and landed at Miami.
That decision paid off.
In his one season with the Hurricanes, Ward led them to a 10-3 record and was named ACC Player of the Year. He threw for over 4,300 yards and 39 touchdowns while completing 67.2% of his passes. He capped the season by winning the Davey O’Brien and Manning Awards and finishing fourth in Heisman voting. Not bad for a guy whose high school team didn’t really throw the ball.
In the Pop-Tarts Bowl against Iowa State, Ward tossed three first-half touchdowns before shutting it down to preserve his draft health. Miami lost by one, but Ward left with the FBS and FCS career touchdown record (158 combined), and plenty of NFL buzz.
Now, he’s the heavy favorite to go first overall to the Tennessee Titans. DraftKings has him as a -20000 lock. The Titans hold the top pick, and unless someone offers them a king’s ransom, they’re expected to make Ward the face of the franchise.
It’s easy to understand why. He’s 6’2″, 219 pounds, has a rocket arm, and has proven he can lead at smaller schools and on the Power Five stage. And with how he commands a locker room and makes big throws under pressure, he looks every bit like the kind of QB you build a franchise around.
If the Titans pull the trigger, they’ll get a polished, motivated quarterback who has spent five years proving doubters wrong. He’s calm in the pocket, creative on the run, and doesn’t get rattled. Not bad for a kid who had one scholarship offer.
Cam Ward’s journey from Columbia High to the biggest stage in football is the stuff Friday Night Lights dreams are made of. And in just a few days, it’ll become official.
