Cam Ward Has a Vision for His NFL Career: ‘Throwing a Lot of Touchdowns and Winning Super Bowls, Honestly’

The NFL Draft is patently absurd. Cam Ward, who has a good chance of being taken with the first overall pick in this year’s edition, knows this well. Apart from the obligations that most fans know about—nonstop meetings with front office executives from various teams, working out in athleisure underwear at the NFL combine—Ward says there’s a whole list of additional elements that make the process not only a bit odd, but a tad difficult as well. “Remembering all those names, that's probably the most difficult part,” he laughed.

If the Tennessee Titans do indeed make Ward the first name off the board on Thursday, as many prognosticators expect, they’ll get a seasoned, well-traveled quarterback. Ward played a total of 57 collegiate games: two seasons at the University of the Incarnate Word, in his home state of Texas; two seasons at Washington State; and one final run in 2024 with Miami. Along the way, he honed an understated demeanor that many experts believe to be ideal for playing quarterback at the highest level.

That suave sophistication also led him to a partnership with Boss, who will be outfitting him for the draft. Ward, 22, says he was drawn to the brand because they’re not big on frills. “I like how casual it is,” he said. “It really fits my personality. Smooth. They're not a real flashy brand when it comes to suits. That's the type of person I am. I like to just put something on, keep it moving. The colorways that Boss has just fit my skin tone.”

Wherever he ends up, fans of Ward’s new team can expect to get a chill guy off the field with an uncanny knack for turning up the heat when it counts. It’s an ability that allowed him to set Miami’s single-season record for passing touchdowns in 2024, tossing 39 scores to just seven interceptions. But during his five years of college football, Ward also developed some takes on playing on the road, why the transfer portal rules, and the happening town of Pullman, Washington.

Cam Ward: I would say the craziest part is remembering all the coaches’ names. It’s easy to remember the head coaches, because that’s the ones they show on TV and all that. But the OCs [offensive coordinators] in the league, that changes every year. So, you’re constantly learning new people: the support staff, the quarterback coach, the people who help out in the building.

Let me tell you. The Saints, the Vikings, New Or—not New Orleans—Tennessee, Cleveland, New York [Giants], New York [Jets], Las Vegas.

Jacksonville, Dallas. I would say at least 12 teams. I met the majority of them at the combine and the rest of them after.

Yeah, it’s weird. Probably the weirdest part is how they make you do so much stuff outside of football.

All that stuff. This one specific day you go to the hospital to get X-rayed. If you had some injuries or you had surgery, you’ll be there from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. The line’s backed up. I was blessed not to be there that long, but one of my teammates, [wide receiver Xavier] Restrepo, he was there all day.

They do need to restructure the combine. Just get the football stuff done with. Because a lot of people who go in there, they’ve been training for three, four months on their 40 [yard dash and] the quarterback’s throwing and all that stuff. Then you get to Indianapolis and you sit for three, four days because you got to do all the meetings with teams first. The test...not the testing. The medical part, going to the hospital—everybody’s already ready to run! Now they just got to sit for three days. You don’t know what could happen.

I would say the accountability that they put on the quarterback.

The quarterback is the highest paid person in the building, so you also got to be able to take the most responsibility in the building. Them putting that accountability on me lets me know they believe in me.

No, I didn’t get no crazy questions. I wish I did! I know a lot of guys got some crazy questions. I wasn’t one of them, though.

I got it all picked out. Nice little suit with a shirt on. I was thinking of a collared shirt, but I didn’t want to do all that. I was trying to be comfortable. I did the collared shirt for the Heisman. I’m real simple. There ain’t going to be no flash. I don’t think you’ll ever see me in some crazy flashy stuff. No fancy jewelry. It’s just going to be some jewelry I’ve been wearing my whole life.

I like getting dressed up. I think it depends on the event. For the draft I’m not even getting that dressed up. I’m just putting on a suit and I’m trying to hear my name called. I’m trying to get in and out.

It taught me that the players shouldn’t get attached. Even I was attached to some spots. I didn’t want to leave, but you have to put yourself in a position to try to get to the NFL. You see it now with all the NIL stuff, a lot of people don’t like it, but it’s the best thing that could’ve happened for players, because now we almost got more control than the coaches. I think it’s good because, at the end of the day, coach can leave whenever he wants! But now the player can leave whenever he wants too.

One game? I would actually say when I was at UIW. I played Southeastern Louisiana. I had like seven TDs, 650 yards. [Note: Ward had 610 passing yards.] Me and Cole Kelly, he was the quarterback over there, we had us a good old shootout. The score was like 55-52.

At Miami, I would say Florida. It’s better to beat somebody in their stadium than play at your own. I'd rather play on the road every game if I could. I don’t really like playing at home.

Ward had 385 yards and three touchdowns in Miami's 2024 demolition of Florida at The Swamp. James Gilbert/Getty Images

I see me throwing a lot of touchdowns and winning Super Bowls, honestly.

Not a lot of people get the opportunity that I’m about to get. I know it’s a short window that a player truly has to maximize himself and the people on his team, so I’m trying to get it all going the right way, the fastest way I can.

It’s real exciting to me. I debated [that] even my freshman year in college. Like, would I want to play early, or would I want to sit a year? I think it’s more pros to both of them than cons. Playing early, you can get to your next contract earlier, maybe after year three. Sitting a year, you’ll be able to just grasp everything, see it from a sideline point of view, and be able to learn more. College helped me, because I played enough college football games that it'll translate over. I think the only difference between college and NFL is just the D linemen are a little bit faster. But at the end of the day, you just got to be a playmaker.

It really don’t mean nothing to me. I did the same at Incarnate Word. I had more touchdowns at Incarnate Word, and more yards. Miami, their quarterback record book isn’t what it’s supposed to be, especially for a school like that. A lot of schools like that, who have that name like Miami does, their quarterback room has always been, stat-wise, up there with some of the greats. Miami just didn’t have that, because in the past they didn’t run offenses like what we did this year. We consistently threw the ball a lot. But it was good to have my name up there. I wouldn't take it back for nothing.

I didn’t even get a chance to see the wheat fields when I went on my visit. I went in December and it was nothing but snow. When I got there they said that was the worst it snowed there in the past 10 years. We flew in straight to Pullman and we could barely see the roads. It was like a blizzard out there. My dad was like, "Where are we?" I didn’t even know. You just drive and then you see this little college town. It was a big culture shock, not only being far from Texas, but being on the border of the world.

It was good, though. I had some good teammates, all of that. If you go to Washington State, you're only going there, in my position, for football. I’m not going there just for school. I was able to get a full ride, so it was worth it.

Ward had eight rushing touchdowns in his lone year at Washington State, the most of any season in his NCAA career. Alika Jenner/Getty Images

Yeah. It is a party school, too. It is a good school, though! I would say that.