Cam Ward looking to end college career by lifting underachieving Miami Hurricanes | D'Angelo

While experiencing a full South Florida summer for the first time, Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward was asked about the heat.

Ward shrugged it off, saying he's from Texas.

"I was born in the heat," he said.

He has no idea.

Ward, who was raised about 60 miles south of Houston and then attended Incarnate Word in San Antonio and Washington State, has not felt the type of heat those in the University of Miami football program have experienced during the past two decades.

Twenty long, suffering, disappointing years.

And we are not talking about the type of heat measured by thermometers and made oppressive by humidity. This is the heat that rises from a fan base tired of an underperforming program after experiencing the joy of five national championships, the last in 2001.

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Ward is jumping from the comfort of two programs with low expectations, one living in complete anonymity, into the heat of one whose supporters continue to relive the days when "The U" did not stand for "Underachieving."

When national titles were the norm ... not six- or seven-win seasons, not losing to FIU and Middle Tennessee State, not finishing in the middle of the pack of the ACC, not hoping for a win in a middle-tier bowl game to finish .500 or above.

But with each year has come renewed hope through a coaching change or another celebrated recruiting class or more money pumped into a collective.

That hope is high this season, even more than normal. Much of it because of Ward — whose flirtation with the NFL certainly meant a bigger check from that collective – and a talented mix of transfers and returning players, at least on paper.

Ward is a 6-foot-2, 223-pounder with a strong arm and playmaking athletic ability who is expected to help add explosiveness to this offense. He is using the "we have nothing to lose this year" rationalization when asked about all that pressure.

"Last year Miami was a seven-win team," he said. "The only way is up."

Ward is right in one sense. Yes, the only way is up for a program that has one double-digit win season and one major bowl appearance since joining the ACC in 2004.

But in another, he is mistaken. Miami, and coach Mario Cristobal who has delivered 12 total wins and a 6-10 ACC record in the first two years of an $80 million contract, are under immense pressure to win. Now.

And it starts Saturday with a dangerous game in The Swamp against Florida, a team whose expectations are nearly as low as Miami's are high.

Ward downplays being UM savior

Ward is not in this alone. Many have Miami's quarterback, receiver, running back and offensive line rooms among the top 10 in the country.

One of the reasons Ward was attracted to Miami.

"The biggest thing (was) not go somewhere where it was a whole rebuild," Ward said. "I only have one year left and trying to make the most of it. I'm tired of being a .500 team. I'm trying to win a lot of football games.

"I wanted to be somewhere that was set. Miami was pretty much set."

And that, Ward believes, will allow him to wrap up his college career with some satisfaction.

"I feel like I have a lot more left on the table in college," he said. "I have a lot of things I want to accomplish wins-wise to personal goals to also help other people.

"I didn't make enough plays I know I'm capable of making at the Power Five level. I feel like I'm capable of much more. It made the decision easier to come back."

Ward's numbers did not translate into wins last year. He threw for 3,736 yards, 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions while completing 66.7% of his passes for the Cougars. He was 40th in the country in passing efficiency, one spot behind Tyler Van Dyke, the man he is replacing.

But Washington State collapsed, losing seven of its final eight games after starting 4-0 and rising to a top 15 ranking. And that stretch included just two ranked teams.

"I felt like we were meant to be together," Ward said, referring to UM and him personally underachieving and now playing with a purpose.

Here is what resonated with Cristobal.

"Playmaking ability, accurate, great arm strength, ability to improvise, extend plays, a game-changer," he said.

"Whenever there was a bad play, his ability to bounce back and make things right. His aggressive, competitive nature to come back and make things right, to go and make up for maybe a play that was negative, was really impressive."

So, does that make Ward the savior? The man who will carry on his shoulders the burden of two decades of disappointment?

He doesn't think so.

"I don't get into that," he said. "I'm going to get up (every) day. I'm going to work out. I'm going to watch film. I'm going to practice. I'm going to get more chemistry with my guys. I'm going to go to sleep and I'm going to do it all over again.

"I wanted to be challenged. I've embraced the challenge. I'm excited for everybody to see what we are going to do during the season."

Ward, Dawson 'perfect marriage'

Shannon Dawson's first year as offensive coordinator brought improvement with Miami averaging 431 yards, 63 more than in 2022.

But Van Dyke, now the Wisconsin starter, never was able to completely take advantage of the freedom Dawson's offense gives to a quarterback, partly because of injuries.

Ward's skill set is the reason many believe this is a much better fit.

"It's a perfect marriage because you are looking at very high football IQ guys that continue to evolve," Cristobal said. "There are passing principles that relate to the air raid, but there's also five-, six- and seven-man protection and play action. Schematic 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."

If Ward's choice of quarterbacks he has studied throughout his journey is any indication, we understand how Cristobal and Dawson are excited about what their one-year rental can do.

Ward tried to emulate Mike Vick and Cam Newton growing up and recently has studied Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers, he said, for the way he moves in and out of the pocket and is able to throw from confined spaces.

"We've been put in a good position and we're trying to do the best to run with it," Ward said about the 2024 Hurricanes .

"Everybody's opinion of myself doesn't really matter to me … The only thing that matters to me is my teammates, the coaches, everybody else inside this building and my family. At this point, this time in my life, I'm more focused on trying to win football games with the team around me. The coaching staff is going to put us in the best position."

Miami enters the season No. 19, has a very forgiving schedule and as much talent as it has in recent years. A spot in the playoff, now that it's been expanded to 12 teams, is as close as ever.

If not now, when?

Tom D'Angelo is a senior sports columnist and golf reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at tdangelo@pbpost.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Cam Ward looking to end college career by lifting underachieving Miami Hurricanes | D'Angelo