This came from today's WSJ and is a pretty good read.
Less than a week before national signing day, there’s no hotter name in college football than Cam Ward, a star quarterback getting buckets of money thrown at him by the best teams in the country. Which is perfectly normal for a 5-star recruit at the game’s most important position—except for one thing.
Ward isn’t a highly touted high-school prospect. In fact, when he finished his senior year of high school in Texas, he wasn’t considered a prospect at all. He didn’t receive a single scholarship offer from a major program. His official recruiting ranking: zero stars.
“It’s crazy,” said Patrice Ward, his mother. “He’s come from zero stars and he’s making his own name for himself.”
That a player could fall through the cracks and emerge just four years later as the game’s most coveted quarterback feels like something that should be impossible these days in college football. As it turns out, it was only possible because of college football.
There may be nobody who explains the sport’s recent history of radical upheaval and glorious mayhem better than Cam Ward.
It started when his freshman year happened to coincide with the pandemic, delaying the season for smaller Division I programs and giving Ward a bonus year of eligibility. Then the NCAA relaxed its transfer rules just before Ward found himself wanting to switch schools. His new team’s conference dissolved just as he blossomed into an exciting upperclassman quarterback, putting him on the move once again at a time when endorsement money has made college football’s version of free agency phenomenally lucrative.
The schools bidding for Ward’s talents now are among the biggest names and most successful in the sport: Miami, Florida State, Southern California, Washington, Auburn and Ohio State. After finishing his finals and graduating on Dec. 9, he’s visited Miami and Florida State and may schedule more trips, his father said.
Those close to Ward say the quarterback won’t simply choose the highest bidder. He’s looking for the right scheme, a stout offensive line to protect him, athletic receivers to catch his passes and the chance to compete for a national title and contend for the Heisman Trophy.
None of which looked remotely in the cards when Ward went through his first recruiting cycle.
Less than a week before national signing day, there’s no hotter name in college football than Cam Ward, a star quarterback getting buckets of money thrown at him by the best teams in the country. Which is perfectly normal for a 5-star recruit at the game’s most important position—except for one thing.
Ward isn’t a highly touted high-school prospect. In fact, when he finished his senior year of high school in Texas, he wasn’t considered a prospect at all. He didn’t receive a single scholarship offer from a major program. His official recruiting ranking: zero stars.
“It’s crazy,” said Patrice Ward, his mother. “He’s come from zero stars and he’s making his own name for himself.”
That a player could fall through the cracks and emerge just four years later as the game’s most coveted quarterback feels like something that should be impossible these days in college football. As it turns out, it was only possible because of college football.
There may be nobody who explains the sport’s recent history of radical upheaval and glorious mayhem better than Cam Ward.
It started when his freshman year happened to coincide with the pandemic, delaying the season for smaller Division I programs and giving Ward a bonus year of eligibility. Then the NCAA relaxed its transfer rules just before Ward found himself wanting to switch schools. His new team’s conference dissolved just as he blossomed into an exciting upperclassman quarterback, putting him on the move once again at a time when endorsement money has made college football’s version of free agency phenomenally lucrative.
The schools bidding for Ward’s talents now are among the biggest names and most successful in the sport: Miami, Florida State, Southern California, Washington, Auburn and Ohio State. After finishing his finals and graduating on Dec. 9, he’s visited Miami and Florida State and may schedule more trips, his father said.
Those close to Ward say the quarterback won’t simply choose the highest bidder. He’s looking for the right scheme, a stout offensive line to protect him, athletic receivers to catch his passes and the chance to compete for a national title and contend for the Heisman Trophy.
None of which looked remotely in the cards when Ward went through his first recruiting cycle.
Then his name appeared in the transfer portal at the worst possible time for his phone to start buzzing incessantly: right before he walked into a final exam.
“He deserved that attention,” Patrice Ward said, “but it was overwhelming at times. Everybody was coming at you.”
Ward’s second time experiencing the recruiting rigmarole couldn’t have been more different than the first.
This zero-star quarterback with zero major scholarship offers now had so many coaches calling him that he needed help sorting through his options. Calvin, an engineer who works as a nuclear fuel coordinator, drafted a spreadsheet with reams of information and compiled dozens of interview questions about coaching contracts, offensive philosophies, the linemen who would protect his son and the receivers he would throw to. In the end, Ward visited three schools: Liberty, Ole Miss and Washington State.
He chose Washington State because of his connection to Morris. By then, the NCAA had also changed its rules to permit athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness (NIL), but the Wards said that wasn’t much of a factor for their son. If it had been, he wouldn’t have landed in Pullman, Wash., one of the smallest university towns in a major conference.
It proved to be an auspicious choice. Once reunited with Morris, he put up huge numbers in 2022 and outdid himself in 2023. Even though Washington State wasn’t throwing millions at its athletes, Ward did sign a handful of NIL endorsements, including one with a booster-owned car dealership that leased him a GMC pickup truck, said Jeffrey Weiner, his marketing agent for NIL deals.
Ward wasn’t using his newfound cash to splurge on designer clothing and jewelry, either. Instead, he poured his money into real-estate investments. Together with Ryan Towner, a realtor based out of Spokane, Wash, Ward purchased a single family home in Sept. 2022 for $220,000, and flipped it one year later for $377,000. (His mother helped pick out the paint colors.)
But he would soon make even more money from football. Before his senior season, the Pac-12 disintegrated when it failed to secure a new television deal, and 10 of its members fled to other conferences. Washington State wasn’t one of them.
With one year of eligibility remaining, it was time for the Wards to huddle again.
His parents say Ward is torn on whether to return to college or declare for the NFL Draft, where he is currently projected as a day-two pick. Not long ago, he would’ve had to jump to the pros to collect millions of dollars, but NIL has changed the game. Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said last month that top quarterbacks on the transfer market can fetch between $1 and $2 million, meaning Ward stands to cash in on endorsement deals that could hit seven figures if he picks a new college.
For now, Ward is keeping his options open. His third collegiate recruitment is somehow even crazier than the last one. This time, the zero-star recruit has his pick of five-star destinations.
“The word I’ll use,” his mother said,” is overwhelmed.”
Less than a week before national signing day, there’s no hotter name in college football than Cam Ward, a star quarterback getting buckets of money thrown at him by the best teams in the country. Which is perfectly normal for a 5-star recruit at the game’s most important position—except for one thing.
Ward isn’t a highly touted high-school prospect. In fact, when he finished his senior year of high school in Texas, he wasn’t considered a prospect at all. He didn’t receive a single scholarship offer from a major program. His official recruiting ranking: zero stars.
“It’s crazy,” said Patrice Ward, his mother. “He’s come from zero stars and he’s making his own name for himself.”
That a player could fall through the cracks and emerge just four years later as the game’s most coveted quarterback feels like something that should be impossible these days in college football. As it turns out, it was only possible because of college football.
There may be nobody who explains the sport’s recent history of radical upheaval and glorious mayhem better than Cam Ward.
It started when his freshman year happened to coincide with the pandemic, delaying the season for smaller Division I programs and giving Ward a bonus year of eligibility. Then the NCAA relaxed its transfer rules just before Ward found himself wanting to switch schools. His new team’s conference dissolved just as he blossomed into an exciting upperclassman quarterback, putting him on the move once again at a time when endorsement money has made college football’s version of free agency phenomenally lucrative.
The schools bidding for Ward’s talents now are among the biggest names and most successful in the sport: Miami, Florida State, Southern California, Washington, Auburn and Ohio State. After finishing his finals and graduating on Dec. 9, he’s visited Miami and Florida State and may schedule more trips, his father said.
Those close to Ward say the quarterback won’t simply choose the highest bidder. He’s looking for the right scheme, a stout offensive line to protect him, athletic receivers to catch his passes and the chance to compete for a national title and contend for the Heisman Trophy.
None of which looked remotely in the cards when Ward went through his first recruiting cycle.
Less than a week before national signing day, there’s no hotter name in college football than Cam Ward, a star quarterback getting buckets of money thrown at him by the best teams in the country. Which is perfectly normal for a 5-star recruit at the game’s most important position—except for one thing.
Ward isn’t a highly touted high-school prospect. In fact, when he finished his senior year of high school in Texas, he wasn’t considered a prospect at all. He didn’t receive a single scholarship offer from a major program. His official recruiting ranking: zero stars.
“It’s crazy,” said Patrice Ward, his mother. “He’s come from zero stars and he’s making his own name for himself.”
That a player could fall through the cracks and emerge just four years later as the game’s most coveted quarterback feels like something that should be impossible these days in college football. As it turns out, it was only possible because of college football.
There may be nobody who explains the sport’s recent history of radical upheaval and glorious mayhem better than Cam Ward.
It started when his freshman year happened to coincide with the pandemic, delaying the season for smaller Division I programs and giving Ward a bonus year of eligibility. Then the NCAA relaxed its transfer rules just before Ward found himself wanting to switch schools. His new team’s conference dissolved just as he blossomed into an exciting upperclassman quarterback, putting him on the move once again at a time when endorsement money has made college football’s version of free agency phenomenally lucrative.
The schools bidding for Ward’s talents now are among the biggest names and most successful in the sport: Miami, Florida State, Southern California, Washington, Auburn and Ohio State. After finishing his finals and graduating on Dec. 9, he’s visited Miami and Florida State and may schedule more trips, his father said.
Those close to Ward say the quarterback won’t simply choose the highest bidder. He’s looking for the right scheme, a stout offensive line to protect him, athletic receivers to catch his passes and the chance to compete for a national title and contend for the Heisman Trophy.
None of which looked remotely in the cards when Ward went through his first recruiting cycle.
Then his name appeared in the transfer portal at the worst possible time for his phone to start buzzing incessantly: right before he walked into a final exam.
“He deserved that attention,” Patrice Ward said, “but it was overwhelming at times. Everybody was coming at you.”
Ward’s second time experiencing the recruiting rigmarole couldn’t have been more different than the first.
This zero-star quarterback with zero major scholarship offers now had so many coaches calling him that he needed help sorting through his options. Calvin, an engineer who works as a nuclear fuel coordinator, drafted a spreadsheet with reams of information and compiled dozens of interview questions about coaching contracts, offensive philosophies, the linemen who would protect his son and the receivers he would throw to. In the end, Ward visited three schools: Liberty, Ole Miss and Washington State.
He chose Washington State because of his connection to Morris. By then, the NCAA had also changed its rules to permit athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness (NIL), but the Wards said that wasn’t much of a factor for their son. If it had been, he wouldn’t have landed in Pullman, Wash., one of the smallest university towns in a major conference.
It proved to be an auspicious choice. Once reunited with Morris, he put up huge numbers in 2022 and outdid himself in 2023. Even though Washington State wasn’t throwing millions at its athletes, Ward did sign a handful of NIL endorsements, including one with a booster-owned car dealership that leased him a GMC pickup truck, said Jeffrey Weiner, his marketing agent for NIL deals.
Ward wasn’t using his newfound cash to splurge on designer clothing and jewelry, either. Instead, he poured his money into real-estate investments. Together with Ryan Towner, a realtor based out of Spokane, Wash, Ward purchased a single family home in Sept. 2022 for $220,000, and flipped it one year later for $377,000. (His mother helped pick out the paint colors.)
But he would soon make even more money from football. Before his senior season, the Pac-12 disintegrated when it failed to secure a new television deal, and 10 of its members fled to other conferences. Washington State wasn’t one of them.
With one year of eligibility remaining, it was time for the Wards to huddle again.
His parents say Ward is torn on whether to return to college or declare for the NFL Draft, where he is currently projected as a day-two pick. Not long ago, he would’ve had to jump to the pros to collect millions of dollars, but NIL has changed the game. Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said last month that top quarterbacks on the transfer market can fetch between $1 and $2 million, meaning Ward stands to cash in on endorsement deals that could hit seven figures if he picks a new college.
For now, Ward is keeping his options open. His third collegiate recruitment is somehow even crazier than the last one. This time, the zero-star recruit has his pick of five-star destinations.
“The word I’ll use,” his mother said,” is overwhelmed.”
