Cam Ward is Heisman Trophy leader in On3 polling

Cam Ward completed 26 of his 35 pass attempts for 385 yards, three touchdowns and one interception with 33 rushing yards in the Miami season-opening 41-17 win at Florida. Ward's performance placed him first in the "On3 Heisman Trophy Poll: Top 10 player rankings after Week 1."

All five On3 experts placed Ward in their top two Heisman Trophy candidates. J. D. Pickell, Charles Power and Jesse Simonton all ranked Ward first in their Heisman voting. Each On3 expert voted their top 10 in the Heisman Trophy race. First place received 10 points, second place nine and through one point for 10th place.

Ward was named the ACC Quarterback of the Week, the Davey O’Brien Award’s Great 8 and the Maxwell Award Player of the Week. When considering the venue, Ward arguably had the best week one performance. Ward slightly edged Colorado defensive back and wide receiver Travis Hunter who received 45 points in the On3 Heisman balloting.

Saturday was a critical performance for Ward. Miami doesn't project to have many games with national significance this season. Florida State was the only ranked team in the preseason on the 2024 Miami schedule. Louisville is the only team remaining on the 2024 Miami schedule ranked in both polls this week.

"1. QB Cam Ward – Miami Hurricanes (48 points)
He then proved it (that he is one of the best QBs nationally) in a primetime spot with what he did in his debut with the Miami Hurricanes on Saturday. (Versus Florida) was one of the best games of his collegiate career to this point as Ward and The ‘U proved that they could be legitimate this season, especially with him leading at No. 1 in the debut of this poll."

- Sam GIllenwater, On3

Miami returns home on Saturday to host Florida A&M. Ball State is the following week. Miami finishes non-conference play at South Florida. Virginia Tech comes to Hard Rock Stadium on September 27 to begin ACC play. Ward can make another statement in a potential Heisman Trophy run with a strong performance versus Virginia Tech.

Ward could become the fifth transfer QB to win the Heisman Trophy in the last eight seasons. Jayden Daniels won the Heisman Trophy in 2023 for LSU after transferring from Arizona State. Baker Mayfield in 2017, Kyler Murray in 2018 for Oklahoma, and Joe Burrow in 2019 for LSU won the Heisman Trophy after transferring.

Ward was the returning leading passer nationally after averaging 311.3 passing yards per game in 2023. Exceeding that in his first game with Miami was impressive. Miami will not need Ward to throw for 385 yards per game. Against Florida, Ward proved he has the traits required to win a Heisman Trophy..