Cam Ward (American football) facts for kids
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Ward with the Tennessee Titans in 2025
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| No. 1 – Tennessee Titans | |
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| Position: | Quarterback |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | May 25, 2002 West Columbia, Texas, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight: | 219 lb (99 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Columbia (West Columbia) |
| College: |
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| NFL Draft: | 2025 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1 |
| Career history | |
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| Roster status: | Active |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Player stats at PFR | |
Cameron Anthony Ward (born May 25, 2002) is an American professional football quarterback. He plays for the Tennessee Titans in the National Football League (NFL).
Before joining the NFL, he played college football for three different teams. These were the Incarnate Word Cardinals, Washington State Cougars, and Miami Hurricanes. He won several big awards, including the Jerry Rice Award in 2020 and both the Davey O'Brien and Manning awards in 2024. The Titans chose Ward as the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.
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Early Life and High School Football
Cameron Anthony Ward was born on May 25, 2002, in West Columbia, Texas. His family has a strong sports background. His father, Calvin Ward, played football. His mother, Patrice Ward, coached high school basketball for almost 25 years. He also has three siblings.
Ward went to Columbia High School. There, he played both basketball and football. In his junior year, he threw for 1,070 yards and seven touchdowns. During his senior year, his team used a special offense called the Wing T. This offense focused more on running the ball. Because of this, Ward threw fewer passes, only 948 yards and 8 touchdowns.
He received only one scholarship offer to play college football. This offer came from the University of the Incarnate Word. Many bigger college teams were interested but did not offer him a scholarship. This was because they were looking at other quarterbacks. Since his high school team ran a unique offense, not many people knew about Ward. He was considered an "unknown" recruit by most scouting services.
College Football Journey
Playing for Incarnate Word (2020–2021)
Ward started his college career at Incarnate Word. He became the team's starting quarterback as a freshman. His first season was played in the spring of 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In that shortened season, he threw for 2,260 yards. He also led the FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) with 24 touchdowns. He only threw four interceptions and scored two rushing touchdowns. For his amazing performance, he won the Jerry Rice Award. This award goes to the best freshman player in the FCS. As a sophomore, Ward continued to shine. He passed for 4,648 yards and 47 touchdowns. He was named the Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Year. After this great season, Ward decided to look for a new team. He entered the NCAA transfer portal.
Time at Washington State (2022–2023)
On January 10, 2022, Ward announced he would transfer to Washington State. His former coach from Incarnate Word, Eric Morris, had just become the offensive coordinator there. Ward joined the school for the second half of his sophomore year. He quickly became the starting quarterback for the 2022 season.
At Washington State, Ward completed 64.4% of his passes. He threw for 3,231 yards and 23 touchdowns. He also ran for five touchdowns. After the 2023 season, Ward again entered the transfer portal. He also graduated from Washington State in December.
Success with Miami (2024)
Ward first thought about entering the 2024 NFL draft after the 2023 season. However, he chose to use his last year of college eligibility. He decided to transfer to Miami for the 2024 season. This choice helped him improve his chances for the NFL draft. It also allowed him to benefit from the NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) rules. These rules let college athletes earn money from their fame. Ward announced his move to Miami on January 13, 2024.
During the 2024 season, Ward led Miami to a great 10–2 record. They had a close game against Syracuse, losing 42–38. This loss meant Miami could not play in the ACC Championship Game. Instead, Clemson went to the championship. Miami finished 13th in the final CFP rankings. They were just outside the playoff spots. Ward was named the ACC Player of the Year. He also won the Davey O'Brien and Manning Award as the top college quarterback. He finished fourth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy.
Miami played against the Iowa State Cyclones in the 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl. Ward played only in the first half. He threw three touchdowns, setting a new record. He now holds the combined career record for touchdowns in both FCS (71) and FBS (87) with 158. Ward chose not to play in the second half. Miami then lost the game 42–41. Some people criticized Ward's decision to not finish the game.
College Statistics
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||||
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| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Avg | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | |||
| 2020 | Incarnate Word | 6 | 6 | 3–3 | 183 | 303 | 60.4 | 2,260 | 7.5 | 24 | 4 | 146.5 | 38 | 2 | 0.1 | 2 | |
| 2021 | Incarnate Word | 13 | 13 | 10–3 | 384 | 590 | 65.1 | 4,648 | 7.9 | 47 | 10 | 154.2 | 74 | 65 | 0.9 | 1 | |
| 2022 | Washington State | 13 | 13 | 7–6 | 320 | 497 | 64.4 | 3,231 | 6.5 | 23 | 9 | 130.6 | 107 | 58 | 0.5 | 5 | |
| 2023 | Washington State | 12 | 12 | 5–7 | 323 | 485 | 66.6 | 3,735 | 7.7 | 25 | 7 | 145.4 | 120 | 144 | 1.2 | 8 | |
| 2024 | Miami | 13 | 13 | 10–3 | 305 | 454 | 67.2 | 4,313 | 9.5 | 39 | 7 | 172.2 | 60 | 204 | 3.4 | 4 | |
| Career | 57 | 57 | 35–22 | 1,515 | 2,329 | 65.0 | 18,137 | 7.8 | 158 | 37 | 149.9 | 402 | 469 | 1.2 | 20 | ||
Professional Career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | |||||||||
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| 6 ft 1+5⁄8 in (1.87 m) |
219 lb (99 kg) |
30+5⁄8 in (0.78 m) |
9 in (0.23 m) |
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| All values from NFL Combine | ||||||||||||
Joining the Tennessee Titans (2025)
Ward was chosen as the first overall pick by the Tennessee Titans in the 2025 NFL draft. This was a special moment because he was the first "zero-star recruit" to be picked first overall in the 21st century.
His college uniform number 1 was a special number for the Titans. It had been retired to honor legendary player Warren Moon. However, Moon gave Ward special permission to wear the number 1 during Ward's first press conference with the team.
Personal Life
Ward is a Christian. His younger cousin, Kyron Drones, is also a quarterback. He played for the Baylor Bears and now plays for the Virginia Tech Hokies. Ward also has older cousins who played in the NFL: safety Quandre Diggs and cornerback Quentin Jammer.
