‘He can throw the ball, man’: What Mario Cristobal, Hurricanes teammates have to say about star Cam Ward

CORAL GABLES — Monday was the first day of Hurricanes spring practice, marking the first time quarterback Cam Ward practiced in a Miami uniform.

Wearing the No. 1 — one of two players with the number, along with Francisco Mauigoa — the Washington State transfer took the field with the rest of his new team.

The new UM quarterback is a major reason for optimism for this year’s Hurricanes team. Ward did not speak to the media on the first day of spring practice, but coach Mario Cristobal and some of his teammates had plenty of praise for him.

Impressive arm strength, speed in the pocket

Linebacker Wesley Bissainthe has come away impressed with Ward’s arm strength in practice.

“He can throw the ball, man,” Bissainthe said. “He’s putting the ball in places, very tight places. That shows me all I needed to see. He can throw the ball. Deep … whatever you need.”

Defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. decided to test Ward’s arm strength for himself, calling for a pass from across UM’s indoor practice facility.

“I remember the first day, I wanted to test him out,” Bain said. “He was throwing the ball on the field, and I was near the exit. I told him to throw me the ball, and it was like 60 yards away. He threw it on a dot. That was the thing that stuck out to me.”

Bain also teased the newcomer, saying he was going to land a hit on Ward (defensive players are not allowed to hit quarterbacks in practice). Bain said Ward teased him back and made him look silly.

“He’s a little chirpy,” Bain said. “He barks back a little bit. I told him I’m going to hit him to set the tone for spring. He told me to come on with it, so I liked that about him. He’s got a little swag to him.”

“There have been a couple times where I tried to make an inside move,” Bain added, “and he made me regret it. He’s real swift on his feet.”

Tight end Elijah Arroyo said Ward’s addition is going to be “great for the team.”

Already a leader

Although Ward has been on campus for only a couple of months, he has quickly turned into a leader.

“Leadership (was impressive). Leadership, I think, a guy that can take command of the line of scrimmage. I think that’s critical,” Cristobal said. “I remember blocking for quarterbacks; I loved those guys that could look at a receiver that might complain about not getting the ball or a lineman that might be overly tired … and say, ‘We ain’t having that. We’re going to go.’ It’s something that we have always wanted and always want to have at the University of Miami.

“I think he brings that and more, but he can make plays because he understands what everybody’s doing. I think it’s important for a quarterback to really understand what the guys up front are doing, where the free hitters might be, how to put ourselves in a good play, how to make adjustments, how to take over an offensive system. And he runs it at a really, really high level in a short amount of time.”

Bain called Ward “chill,” but Bissainthe said he is not quiet.

“He’s not one of those quarterbacks that’s quiet,” Bissainthe said. “He definitely talks to the whole team. When I came, he introduced himself to me. He was like, ‘What’s up? What’s your name, bro?’ I was like, ‘I’m Wes.’ He definitely tried to get himself around, trying to get to know his teammates.”

Offensive lineman Jalen Rivers said Ward is funny and is getting close with everyone on the team.

“Off the field, he’s very talkative and he’s very close with everybody, so he makes everybody laugh. He’s a funny guy,” Rivers said. “He gets involved with everything. He’s not just involved with his receivers or the skill guys; he’s involved with everybody on the defensive side, and we need that as a quarterback or a leader coming in, filling that quarterback position for his last year.”

A ‘big bill’ coming

Rivers said Ward has quickly started bonding with his new teammates, hosting some players at his home.

“He’s unbelievable. He came in right away. We jelled together real quick,” Rivers said. “He took the skill players out to his house and they watched, I think, the Super Bowl together. He’ll be taking the O-line out to a dinner this week. I’m excited, looking forward to that. I feel like we’re doing a good job getting together, bonding. And we need that as an offense, as well. That’ll put everything together as a whole team.”

Ward is making his share of NIL money during his year in Miami, and he will need it if he is planning to take a group of offensive linemen out for dinner frequently.

“That’s going to be a big bill,” Rivers said.