Cam Ward: Cam Ward’s coach reminisces Titans QB's inspiring journey from "0-star recruit to No. 1 pick" in 2025 NFL Draft

Cam Ward and the Tennessee Titans headlined the 2025 NFL draft, as the front office selected its next franchise quarterback with the No. 1 pick in the class. Ward was widely viewed as the consensus top pick, with Tennessee looking to fill a massive need at the quarterback position.

Ward had one of the most unique paths to becoming the top pick in recent memory, transferring from Incarnate Word to Washington State before finishing at Miami. On Tuesday, in a heartfelt Instagram post, Ward's quarterback coach, Darrell Colbert, reminisced on the No. 1 pick's journey from a 0-star recruit in high school to the top pick in the NFL draft.

"From unheard of 0-star recruit to No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft. Inspirational @camward," Colbert captioned his post.

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Cam Ward shined in his lone season at Miami, completing 67.2% of his passes for 4,313 yards and 39 touchdowns, which led all FBS quarterbacks, with just seven interceptions. He earned an All-American nod for his efforts and finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy race.

Cam Ward to compete for starting quarterback role

On Monday afternoon, the Tennessee Titans introduced their newest quarterback with an introductory press conference. Tennessee selected Cam Ward as their No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL draft on Thursday night, but made it known the rookie signal-caller will have work to do to earn the starting job.

On Monday, Titans first-year general manager Mike Borgonzi told reporters that Ward has not yet been named the starting quarterback.

"We're not gonna name any starters here, though, right now in the offseason," Borgonzi said. "There's gonna be a competition in every room. And (Will Levis) elevates the competition in that room."

Tennessee drafted Will Levis with the No. 33 pick in the 2023 NFL draft, after a surprising slide out of the first round. Levis hasn't exactly lived up to his previous first-round billing through his first two NFL seasons, coming off a turnover-riddled campaign in 2024.

Cam Ward is widely expected to win the starting job entering the 2025 season, entering the season with immense potential. Levis will have the upper hand with experience in Brian Callahan's offense, but will face an uphill battle this offseason against the No. 1 pick in the draft.

About the author

Ethen Hutton is an analyst who works for Sportskeeda, covering College Football, the NFL, the NBA and the WNBA. Ethen graduated high school with academic and athletic honors and is a member of the National High School Honors Society. After a gap year, Ethen jumped into sports writing and has over two years of experience in the field.

Ethen was raised in Ohio and is a Cleveland Cavaliers fan. His favorite all-time player is Pete Maravich as his shooting and ball-handling abilities were way ahead of his time. His favorite player in today’s NBA is Nikola Jokic due to his fascinating skillset as a big man.

Ethen loves the storylines around the NBA and the chaos that the offseason and trade deadlines bring. He enjoys technical deep dives with strong statistical analysis as well as stories where he's able to take a stance as an analyst. He is very prideful in the correctness of his work and will do extensive research to ensure all facts and evidence are 100% accurate.

When not working, Ethen enjoys recording his sports podcast, Wide Right. He is also a very invested fantasy football player.

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Edited by Alvin Amansec