QB Cam Ward, who spent two years as Washington State starter, selected No. 1 overall by Titans in NFL draft

PULLMAN – Washington State has now sent three players on to become No. 1 picks in the NFL draft.

Former quarterback Cam Ward, who played the 2022 and 2023 seasons for the Cougars before transferring to Miami, was taken with the top overall pick by the Tennessee Titans in Thursday’s draft.

Ward joins QBs Drew Bledsoe (1993) and Timm Rosenbach (1989) as former WSU players to become No. 1 NFL draft selections. Ward, a finalist for the Heisman Trophy with Miami, is also the highest draft pick to play for the Cougs since former offensive lineman Andre Dillard was chosen with the No. 22 overall pick in 2019.

Ward started his career with two seasons at FCS Incarnate Word before transferring to WSU, where he completed 643 of 982 passes (65%) for 6,966 yards, (eighth in program history), 48 touchdowns (tied for seventh) and 16 interceptions. Ward led WSU to a 12-13 record with one bowl game appearance, a loss to Fresno State in the 2022 LA Bowl.

After the 2023 season, Ward was ready to go pro, declaring for the draft on New Year’s Day 2024. But within a couple of weeks, Ward had a change of heart and committed to Miami, where he led the Hurricanes to a 9-0 start and a 10-3 season, sitting out the second half of his team’s Pop-Tarts Bowl loss to Iowa State.

Ward is also one of the first players to represent WSU in college football’s changing system, which allowed him to break out with another school before going to the draft. Alongside former WSU offensive lineman Jarrett Kingston, who transferred from WSU to USC before getting drafted last spring, Ward is the second former Cougar to transfer to another institution and get drafted, a reflection of how commonplace transferring has become in college football.

A native of West Columbia, Texas, Ward came to WSU thanks in large part to former offensive coordinator Eric Morris, who was Incarnate Word’s head coach from 2018-2021, which is when he recruited Ward to UIW. In 2022, when Morris accepted the Cougars’ offensive coordinator job, he brought Ward with him to Pullman.

Morris spent only the 2022 season at WSU before departing to take the head coaching job at North Texas, where he remains the Mean Green’s coach. Ward’s OC in 2023 was Ben Arbuckle, who worked the same role last season before taking Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator job in December.

As a Cougar, Ward showed the type of talent that helped him become the top draft selection, using his arm strength to develop an improved deep ball in 2023 and eluding defenders in and out of the pocket. But he also struggled with ball security, finishing the 2023 second nationally in fumbles with 11, a key reason why the Cougs followed 4-0 start with a 1-7 finish.

Other former WSU players who can expect to hear their names called later this weekend include former receiver Kyle Williams (likely second- or third-round pick) and former offensive tackle Esa Pole (likely seventh-round selection).

The second and third rounds are set for Friday, and rounds four through seven will take place on Saturday, all in Green Bay, Wisconsin.