Cam Ward has a lot to be thankful for. Ahead of the 2025 Draft, he’s projected to be the top overall pick, bypassing the likes of Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders. Going from a zero-star recruit out of high school to one of the top players in college football takes a lot of blessings. And ample support from the family.
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As Ward made his way from FCS-level Incarnate Word to two years at Washington State and his final year at the University of Miami, his parents were there every step of the way. Patrice and Calvin Ward did not miss a single one of Ward’s games through his first four seasons of college football, flying out from Houston every weekend to watch their son.
“They’ve been at every one of my youth games, since I got to middle school, high school, they missed zero games of my college career. In Miami, it’d be a two-hour trip from Texas. They plan on being at every NFL game, no matter if it’s in another city or overseas. They enjoy watching me play,” Cam told NFL on ESPN.
This wasn’t a small feat.
Traveling from Houston to Pullman, Washington, for Washington State home games typically involved flying to Denver first, connecting to Spokane, Washington, and then renting a car for the hour-and-a-half drive to their son’s apartment.
Some road games, such as those at USC and UCLA, were more straightforward to reach. However, trips to places like Corvallis, Oregon, for last year’s game at Oregon State demanded more extensive planning to coordinate successfully, they told the Miami Herald. Cam, for his part, isn’t oblivious to how much his parents have sacrificed to see him succeed.
“It means a lot to me to have them be a part of every game, be a part of my life every day. I’ve been blessed. They’ve sacrificed financially for me, with time, putting me in positions to showcase my skills. I’m hoping to support them how they’ve supported me,” he expressed his gratitude to his parents.
Now on the road to the big leagues, Ward is expected to be elected by the Tennessee Titans as the first pick in Thursday’s NFL draft. He completed 305 of 454 pass attempts for 4,313 yards and 39 touchdowns with only seven interceptions last season, while also rushing 60 times for 204 yards and four touchdowns for the Hurricanes.
Despite Miami finishing 10-3 and missing out on the College Football Playoff, Ward is widely regarded by analysts as the top prospect available.
The Titans, who have missed the playoffs for the past three seasons, have held multiple meetings with Cam leading up to the draft, including detailed discussions with head coach Brian Callahan about how Ward could fit into Tennessee’s offensive scheme. The team will be hoping for a transformation with Ward at center.
