‘Perfect marriage’ between Hurricanes QB Cam Ward, coordinator Shannon Dawson setting UM up for success

New Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward did not appear to miss a beat during spring football after transferring from Washington State.

Part of that could stem from the similarities in the Air Raid-style offense he ran with the Cougars for two seasons and the style of offense UM offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson runs — even if UM coach Mario Cristobal balks at calling Dawson’s offense a traditional Air Raid.

“It’s a perfect marriage because you’re looking at very high football IQ guys that continue to evolve,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said at the ACC Football Kickoff in Charlotte on Wednesday. “Sometimes it’s unfair to pigeonhole a guy into being just an Air Raid guy. There are passing principles that relate to the Air Raid, but there’s also five-, six-, seven-man protection and play action, schematical stuff that is more towards a power spread team as well as a very efficient and powerful run game that we’ve also put together.

“It’s a great blend.”

Ward’s arrival in Coral Gables was the talk of ACC media days on Wednesday.

After starring at Washington State and flirting with the NFL, Ward ultimately chose to stay in college and move across the country to Miami.

“A lot went into that decision,” Ward said. “That’s probably one of the most stressful times in my life. Me, my mom, my dad. Every day my decision changed. Went into my parents’ room (and) I told them one day I was going to this school. Next day, I was going to the league, next day I was going to Miami. If I had to do it all over again, I would.

“The biggest thing for me is there was still food left on the table for me. I accomplished a lot of things at the FCS level. I haven’t accomplished things I know I’m capable of at the Power Five level. I feel like (the) NFL isn’t going anywhere. God put me in this position to be a Miami Hurricane. I think it’s been the best of both worlds.”

The desire for Ward to play this season in orange and green was mutual. Cristobal and his staff identified Ward’s talent and his intangible leadership abilities, so they kept recruiting Ward even after he announced his plans to enter the draft. The work paid off.

“Everybody loved the talent,” Cristobal said during an interview with ACC Network, describing the quarterback as an “alpha” type. “Everybody was after him in the portal. God knows we recruited him in and out of the NFL forever. What stood out was whenever he had a bad play on film, he followed it up with just a fierce approach and a competitive nature. Like, ‘I’m going to make the next play right. I’m going to make the next series right.’

“We needed that. We needed that at that position, particularly, because we felt the O-line was going to be a strong point of the program. We felt the skill positions were going to be really good and we’re going to have a good defensive front …. So that guy had to be a real-deal dude. We felt that from him, and he hasn’t disappointed. He’s exceeded expectations.”

Ward’s first — and potentially only — season at UM starts on Aug. 31 against rival Florida in Gainesville. Although Ward has yet to play a game for Cristobal, the coach has nothing but positive things to say about his new quarterback.

“That means a lot for me,” Ward said when asked about Cristobal’s confidence in him. “I’m already a confident person. But we have a head coach like that who is going to instill that in not only yourself but the whole team, offense and defense, it’s going to help us later in the season.”