What draft evaluators are saying about UM’s Ward. And George’s wise response to ‘punch’

Just as the Miami Hurricanes’ stock skyrocketed among playoff prognosticators on Saturday, quarterback Cam Ward’s stock rose among NFL evaluators.

Not only did CBS Sports move Ward into the first round (13th overall) in its Labor Day 2025 mock draft, but executives with two longtime draft prospect postseason showcase games raved about him on social media in the wake of his 385-yard passing performance in a 41-17 win against the Gators.

Jim Nagy, the executive director of the Senior Bowl, said this of Ward on X:

“Was with bunch of NFL scouts & execs last night in Tallahassee who were also in Gainesville on Saturday and all agreed Cam Ward’s performance vs. Florida was best of his career.

“Plenty of Ward’s clips from Week 1 have circulated on here but we chose this one because it shows his improved timing, threading ball out of the break to ultra-reliable slot Xavier Restrepo. Biggest difference from previous year’s tape study is @Cameron7Ward was playing more on-schedule rather than off-script, which is what @seniorbowl and NFL evaluators wanted to see.

“He’s a natural thrower with all the cool improvised arm slot stuff and he had multiple big-time completions that showcased all the various pitches he has in his bag. Spoke to @CanesFootball OC Shannon Dawson after the game and praised Ward for his “low heart rate” in a hostile environment at The Swamp.

“As good as the stats were, his WRs left some plays on the field. Also credit OL Coach Alex Mirabal’s unit, as well as TEs & RBs, for giving Ward ample time all day. While it’s only one game, this was easily Ward’s best tape we’ve seen over past three years of tape study.”

Meanwhile, Eric Galko — the director of football operations and player personnel for the Shrine Bowl — mentioned that Ward made “many throws” that “impressed NFL personnel” on Saturday and added:

“He’s in store for an incredible season, and no doubt he’s continued to improve every year over the last five seasons. But Cam’s playmaking, creativity and arm talent [have] been readily apparent throughout his college career. This season should be the culmination of the immense talent he has and potential he still possesses.”

Meanwhile, The Athletic slotted Ward 18th overall in its initial mock draft.

Former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel, now working for FS-1, said “the first thing on film that jumps out” is “he may have the strongest arm” in college football.

THIS AND THAT

Here’s one interesting nugget from Mario Cristobal’s weekly coach’s show with Joe Zagacki and Don Bailey Jr.:

Cristobal said receiver Jacolby George was acknowledged during Monday’s team meeting for not retaliating when a Gators player punched him during a play Saturday. George was called for three unsportsmanlike penalties late last season, but UM coaches stood by him.

“A year ago, everybody was all over him and me because there was some post snap stuff that hurt us,” Cristobal said. “He was singled out in the team meeting because of his composure when he was blocking his tail off and one of their corners took a swipe at him and punched him.”

Cristobal said “I don’t get mad at that” from an opponent because it’s part of football but noted that referees often see the player who retaliates, not the one who initiates.

What impressed Cristobal and the other coaches is George stayed “composed and kept blocking and [went] back to the huddle.. That is a monster step in development and growth.”

▪ Safety Jaden Harris punctuated a strong debut as a starter with an interception while lying on his back. And defensive coordinator Lance Guidry made clear that Harris was not to blame on a Gators’ 71-yard TD run.

“He played really, really fast, the way we thought he could,” Guidry said. “He had a lot of confidence going into the game. The long run back there was a busted blitz by a linebacker, he was supposed to cover the tight end. Everyone thinks it was his fault, but it really wasn’t.”

▪ One example of how well prepared the Hurricanes were on Saturday:

“Last week against Florida [in practice], we took five of the top seven plays that showed up in every game — a reverse, crossing route, tailback screen, just certain things [and prepared to defend those],” Guidry said. “The first 10 plays, four or five of them showed up. That was good. We sniffed out stuff they were doing, trick stuff.”

▪ Cristobal offered this update on defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. and cornerback Damari Brown on Joe Rose’s show on Tuesday morning:

“It’s going to be a couple of weeks now. Rueben had the soft tissue injury, is being evaluated, being put through a bunch of tests. And so is Damari. We are going to take it day by day, wait for the doctor’s recommendation how to proceed. We got banged up a little bit and those guys will be back at some point in time but out for now.”

▪ Saturday’s 6 p.m. home opener against Florida A&M will be available only via ESPN’s streaming ACC Extra platform.