Eye on the U: Cam Ward’s impressive first months in Miami and more spring takeaways

The spring is just about over, and the Miami Hurricanes provided a glimpse at some of their most fascinating new additions this week.

Still, no one is more fascinating than Cameron Ward.

On a new episode of the Eye on the U, David Wilson and Susan Miller Degnan, the Miami Herald’s Hurricanes beat writer, recap what they learned about Miami’s new quarterback from his first few weeks of practice in South Florida and what it means for the Hurricanes this year.

Above all else, Ward brings a completely new demeanor to the quarterback position in Miami, trading out former quarterback Tyler Van Dyke’s even-keeled attitude for the vocal leadership, and a little bit of trash talk, of Ward.

Of course, Ward isn’t the only fascinating new addition for the Hurricanes this year. No one on the roster is bigger than Markel Bell and Degnan got an up-close, in-person look at the 6-foot-9, 340-poound offensive lineman this week.

If everything goes according to plan for Miami this year, the Hurricanes won’t need Bell in 2024, but a lineman like that is still a pretty good developmental prospect to have waiting in the wings.

Finally, hardly a week can go by without some transfer portal news and Miami was involved in some big news this week with defensive lineman Nyjalik Kelly hitting the portal after two up-and-down seasons in Coral Gables.

With Kelly’s departure, each of the top four prospects from coach Mario Cristobal’s first recruiting class with the Hurricanes are now gone, a reminder of how volatile the sport can be, even for a great recruiter like Cristobal, during a transitional phase for any program.