Tag: Cam Ward

Colorado’s two-way superstar Travis Hunter wins Heisman Trophy

Travis Hunter of Colorado is your 2024 Heisman Trophy winner

Travis Hunter of Colorado is a throwback. A great two-way player, wide receiver, and defensive back.

And on Saturday, the unicorn star of Deion Sanders’ Buffaloes won the Heisman Trophy. He became the second Colorado player to win the prestigious award, joining the late Rashaan Salaam, who won the Heisman in 1994.

Hunter received more points in the voting than Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty, Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel, and Miami QB Cam Ward.

Coming in fifth through 10th were:

Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders led Colorado to a 9-3 record. The Buffs play BYU in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28.

Hunter caught 92 passes for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also had four interceptions and was in for more than 100 plays regularly during games. He played 1,356 snaps, first in the nation by 434.

Jeanty led the nation with 2.497 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns. Boise State made the College Football Playoffs and is the third-seeded team.

Gabriel quarterback Oregon, the lone undefeated team in the country. He threw for 3,558 yards and 28 touchdowns against six picks.

Ward threw for 4,123 yards and 36 touchdowns.

How to Watch: Dillon Gabriel in the Heisman Trophy ceremony

How to Watch: Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel joins Travis Hunter, Cam Ward and Ashton Jeanty at the Heisman Trophy ceremony.

It’s becoming a tradition to have the Oregon Ducks quarterback go to the Heisman Trophy ceremony in New York.

For the second straight season, the Ducks’ quarterback, this time being Dillon Gabriel with Bo Nix going last year, will be on hand for the Heisman presentation. Unfortunately, however, also for the second straight season, the Duck signal-caller isn’t expected to come back to Eugene with the hardware. That distinction happens to go to Travis Hunter of the Colorado Buffaloes.

But it’s fun to think about that three of the four finalists for college football’s most prestigious award played in the Pac-12 last season, and the other finalist, Ashton Jeanty, also plays out west with Boise State.

Just having Gabriel being at the presentation is just free publicity for the Ducks and a great recruiting pitch for head coach Dan Lanning for future Ducks.

What channel is the Heisman Trophy presentation on Saturday? Time, TV schedule

TV Channel: ESPN

Start time: 5 p.m. PT

The Heisman Trophy presentation will be televised on ESPN on Dec. 14 in New York, NY.

Where to watch the Heisman Trophy presentation on livestream

There are several different streaming options for ESPN. You can go on ESPN+ or Disney+. ESPN is also offered on streaming television services such as FUBO, Sling TV and YouTube TV.

Heisman Trophy predictions, picks and odds

Colorado’s Travis Hunter, the two-way star that plays on both sides of the ball, is the overwhelming favorite to win the Heisman on Saturday. It would be a fitting end to an interesting career starting out at Jackson State. Hunter was the No. 1 recruit when he shocked the world and committed to Deion Sanders and Jackson State before following his coach out to Boulder.

The next player besides Hunter is Ashton Jeanty of Boise State. Oregon found out firsthand in September how tough it was to wrangle this Bronco down. He has had an incredible season on the blue turf and reminds people of Barry Sanders.

Dillon Gabriel is the quarterback for the No. 1 Ducks and is the  Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. His poise and clutch passes down the stretch of some games (Wisconsin) has led Oregon to a 13-0 record and the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.

Cam Ward left the cold in the Palouse at Washington State to South Beach and Miami. The environments couldn’t be any different, but Ward flourished. He willed his team to victory in most of their 10 wins as the Hurricanes just missed the playoff.

Odds:

  • Travis Hunter, Colorado (-2500)
  • Ashton Jeanty, Boise State (+1000)
  • Dillon Gabriel, Oregon (+25000)
  • Cam Ward, Miami (+25000)

Travis Hunter Stats

  • 92 catches
  • 1,152 yards
  • 14 touchdowns
  • 32 tackles
  • 4 interceptions

Ashton Jeanty Stats

  • 344 carries
  • 2,497 yards
  • 29 touchdowns (30 total)

Dillon Gabriel Stats

  • 297-of-406 passing
  • 3,558 yards
  • 28 touchdowns (35 total)
  • 6 interceptions

Cam Ward Stats

  • 293-of-435 passing
  • 4,123 yards
  • 36 touchdowns (40 total)
  • 7 interceptions

 

Giants’ Malik Nabers has a history with Shedeur Sanders

New York Giants rookie WR Malik Nabers has an interesting history with Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders (and Deion).

The New York Giants are 2-11 after 14 weeks of this miserable 2024 NFL season and are on pace to select second overall in the 2025 NFL draft.

A top quarterback will be well within their grasp should that happen. Depending on which team — or teams (if any) — are in front of them will determine who falls to them.

Whoever does fall to the Giants will have the pleasure of throwing passes to stud wideout Malik Nabers next season.

Nabers was asked if he had any preference on quarterbacks he’s seen in college this year, mainly Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward of Miami. Both are Heisman Trophy finalists.

“No, I don’t have relationships with any of those guys,” he said. “But when I was younger, I did go to Deion Sanders’ camp and stuff like that. I know about Shedeur. I’ve seen a few games on Cam. Those guys are amazing players.”

Nabers then recalled his experience at Sanders’ camp.

“We actually played in it, it was like a camp, the day after it was like a 7-on-7 camp. We met Shedeur in the finals. Actually, (LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier) Nuss was my quarterback at the time at the camp. We all went to the championship match against Shedeur,” he said, revealing his team won the game.

Nabers predicts that Shedeur’s Colorado teammate, wide receiver/defensive back Travis Hunter, will take home the Heisman on Saturday. It’s the safest bet.

“He’s a unique player right there. You don’t see those kinds of guys, able to play at a high level that he can, especially at cornerback and receiver,” Nabers said. “He’s touched 1,000 yards as a receiver, that’s kind of hard to do. And I think he’s got double-digit touchdowns at receiver, too.

“So, that’s hard, especially going into the game knowing that the defense is keying in on you for you to be still explosive as he is. Then to go on defense and lock down his side of the field. They don’t want to throw it his way. He’s still able to get interceptions, still able to stop receivers.

“I think that’s a unique player. For him, he’s the best player in college football. If you can play both sides at a high level like him, there’s no doubt.”

Hunter is the wild card in this year’s draft class. The first team not looking for a quarterback will land him.

The Giants could sure use Hunter. They need to get explosive on both sides of the ball. Adding him would go a long way in doing that. But that would mean bypassing the quarterback position, a decision that would not go over well with the long-suffering fan base.

If the Giants end up with one of the top three picks, they’ll get one of these three players. Sanders and Ward are the most likely. Nabers would take either but had this to add about Shedeur.

“I watched Shedeur when he was at Jackson State,” he said. “Me and him were in the same class. So, it was always like, I’m aware of my competition. But he wasn’t in competition with me, it was just always the fact that it’s Deion Sanders’ son. So, you always want to watch what those guys are doing. And they did it at a high level wherever they went. It was amazing and impressive to see what he has done.”

It’s going to be an interesting end to the season and offseason around here after all.

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Mark Davis says Tom Brady will have a say in Raiders QB drafting plans

Tom Brady is more than just a minority owner for the Raiders. Mark Davis will be seeking his advice on QB’s in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Quarterback is the obvious glaring need for the Raiders as they are weeks away from the 2025 offseason. Though, to be fair, this will be the third straight offseason they will enter in which that is the case. Only this time they find themselves in a position to get one in the draft.

The first time that was the case, Tom Brady was a hot topic of conversation as the replacement for Derek Carr who was cut after the team failed to find a trade partner.

As it happens, Brady joined the Raiders this offseason as a minority owner. And now with the team appearing headed for a position at or near the top of the 2025 draft, Mark Davis has told The Athletic’s Tashan Reed that he will be tapping Brady’s expertise about what direction they will go in landing a new franchise signal caller.

If the Raiders continue down the path they are currently on — that being a losing streak that has reached nine games — they could have any QB in this draft they want. Which would end up making it, basically a decision between Colorado’s Shadeur Sanders or Miami’s Cam Ward.

As of now, the Raiders are neck and neck with the New York Giants for the rights to the top pick in the draft. Should the Giants get the top pick and the Raiders finish just behind them, the decision as to whom they get could be out of their hands for the most part.

Brady input in this matter could be pretty valuable in assisting GM Tom Telesco in this matter.

Just so long as Telesco is allower to overrule Brady should he think the Raiders could afford to wait for a sleeper pick in the sixth round just as the Patriots did when they landed him in the 2000 draft.

Oklahoma’s Ben Arbuckle has impressive quarterback track record

Oklahoma’s new offensive coordinator is something of a QB whisperer.

The search for the next Oklahoma Sooners offensive coordinator is over. Coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] hired Ben Arbuckle away from the Washington State Cougars to call plays and coach quarterbacks in Norman.

Though Arbuckle is just 29 years old, he has already called plays for three seasons. He cut his teeth under new Florida Atlantic coach and previous Texas Tech offensive coordinator Zach Kittley. He may be young, but he has earned a reputation as a quarterback whisperer in a very short time.

After Sooners fans suffered through a 2024 season of watching a broken offense and quarterbacks who weren’t handled or coached correctly, Arbuckle is a sight for sore eyes. Whether it’s [autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr.[/autotag] or a [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] quarterback who starts for the Sooners next year, they’ll have Arbuckle as his primary teacher.

But who has Arbuckle coached prior to landing in Norman? Here is each QB he’s tutored at the college level.

Bailey Zappe

Houston Baptist (FCS), 2018-2019; Western Kentucky, 2021

Arbuckle’s coaching career started as a quality control coach at FCS Houston Baptist in 2018 and 2019. It was there that he worked with Bailey Zappe, and was instrumental in the young QB’s development.

Zappe threw 58 touchdowns to just 28 interceptions over those two seasons. After a year in the high school ranks in Texas, Arbuckle found his way back to Zappe in 2021 at Western Kentucky. Arbuckle was an offensive quality control coach, and Zappe was once again the starter under center. They worked closely together again.

Zappe broke Football Bowl Subdivision records that season, throwing 62 touchdown passes, 11 interceptions and almost 6,000 yards. He was drafted by the New England Patriots after the year, starting a few games for them over a couple of seasons.

That performance earned the OC, Kittley, the same job at Texas Tech. Arbuckle was chosen to succeed Kittley in 2022.

Austin Reed

Western Kentucky, 2022

In his first stint calling plays. Arbuckle worked with WKU’s Austin Reed. A 40-to-11 touchdown-to-interception ratio in 2022 speaks for itself, but Reed also threw for 4,744 yards for one of the best offenses in college football. His yardage total led the nation.

Arbuckle left Tyson Helton’s staff to take the same job under Jake Dickert at Washington State. Reed stayed with the Hilltoppers, but saw his stats dip in 2023 without Arbuckle. He signed with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent and is in the midst of his rookie season.

Cam Ward

Washington State, 2023

In his first of two seasons in Pullman, Arbuckle mentored Cam Ward, a former Incarnate Word transfer. Ward threw for over 3,700 yards, 25 touchdowns and 7 interceptions, all improvements over his previous season with the Cougars.

Ward’s 2023 campaign made him a high-profile player and the new quarterback of the Miami Hurricanes after he transferred to South Florida for 2024. He’s been arguably the best quarterback in the country, leading Miami to a 10-2 regular season. He’ll likely be a Heisman Trophy finalist and a high pick in April’s NFL Draft.

After Ward transferred, Arbuckle needed another QB for the 2024 season.

John Mateer

Washington State, 2024

Arbuckle found his guy in unheralded three-star prospect John Mateer. Mateer has been a revelation for the Cougars this year. He has thrown for 3,139 yards, 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He added 15 scores on the ground to lead the Football Bowl Subdivision with 44 total touchdowns.

The interesting part of this equation is Mateer is a candidate to enter the portal this offseason. OU and Arbuckle are a distinct possibility for a landing spot if he does. Other schools will certainly vie for his services as well, making Arbuckle’s next QB protégée still up in the air for 2025.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X @AaronGelvin.

Giants scouted Miami QB Cam Ward in upset loss to Syracuse

The New York Giants again scouted Miami QB Cam Ward over the weekend and were in attendance at several other games as well.

The New York Giants were again on the road over the weekend, hard at work scouting some of the top NCAA schools and players following their Week 13 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day.

It’s unclear if general manager Joe Schoen made any personal scouting trips on Friday or Saturday but for the second consecutive week, the Giants did have scouts carefully watching Miami quarterback Cam Ward.

Local and national scouts were also spread out across the county as the team gathered data in preparation for the 2025 NFL draft.

Here’s a quick look at some of the games where the Giants had a confirmed scouting presence:

Miami vs. Syracuse

Ohio State vs. Michigan

Texas vs. Texas A&M

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Giants sent scouts to watch Miami’s Cam Ward over weekend

The New York Giants scouted Miami QB Cam Ward over the weekend and were in attendance at several other games as well.

The New York Giants were again on the road over the weekend, hard at work scouting some of the top NCAA schools and players ahead of a Week 12 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

A week after Giants general manager Joe Schoen personally scouted Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders and wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter, the team had eyes on Miami quarterback Cam Ward.

Local and national scouts were also spread out across the county as the team gathered data in preparation for the 2025 NFL draft.

Here’s a quick look at some of the games where the Giants had a confirmed scouting presence:

Miami vs. Wake Forest

Arizona vs. TCU

Iowa vs. Maryland

Penn State vs. Minnesota

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Raiders snag franchise signal-caller in updated ESPN 2025 NFL mock draft

The Raiders get their guy in this updated 2025 NFL mock draft from ESPN.

If the season were to end today, the Raiders would be selecting fourth overall in the 2025 NFL draft.

Would that be high enough in the NFL draft order for Las Vegas to wind up with one of the franchise signal-callers that it wants and that could help transform the Raiders’ longterm future?

As the season moves into Week 12, ESPN released an updated 2025 NFL mock draft. ESPN’s Matt Miller projects the New York Giants to trade up two slots and nab the No. 1 overall draft pick from the Jacksonville Jaguars.

With the No. 1 overall selection, Miller projects that the Giants would draft Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Miller then forecasts that the Cleveland Browns would draft Sanders’ Colorado teammate, wide receiver and defensive back Travis Hunter, at No. 2.

Just ahead of Las Vegas at No. 3, Miller features the Jacksonville Jaguars drafting Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr.

With Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter and Kelvin Banks Jr. off the board, Miller believes the Raiders would select Miami quarterback Cam Ward with the No. 4 overall pick.

The Raiders missed out on Shedeur Sanders in this mock, just as they missed the six first-round quarterbacks in the 2024 draft. But they would land the 2025 draft’s second-best QB in Ward. He has displayed an ability to dial up velocity from the pocket and when throwing off-platform, allowing him to make throws few college quarterbacks would even attempt. At 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, he also has the body type to excel as a runner when the pocket breaks down.

With 54 starts on his résumé, Ward should be ready to step right in and guide a Raiders team that is desperate for a new signal-caller after struggling with Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell this season. – Miller, ESPN.

This selection would be sure to delight Raiders fans as they hope for a quarterback like Ward that can alter Las Vegas’ compass in a championship direction.

Ward is enjoying a storybook campaign with the Miami Hurricanes during this 2024 college football season. The 6-foot-2, 223 pound signal-caller is completing 66.8% of his passes, has thrown for 3,494 yards and 32 touchdowns and has been intercepted just six times.

With Ward pulling the strings, Miami (9-1) is currently ranked No. 8 in the latest College Football Playoff Rankings and the favorite to win the ACC Championship.

The possibility of this pick becoming a reality became even more likely after Thursday Night Football. The Cleveland Browns (3-8) stunned the Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3), 24-19.

With the Browns ahead of the Raiders in the 2025 NFL draft order entering Week 12, it only enhances Las Vegas’ odds to wind up with a top-three pick and the franchise quarterback it’s searching for.

Both 2025 MSU basketball commits officially sign with Spartans

MSU has officially inked LOIs for both of their 2025 commits

Michigan State basketball has put an official close to both of their 2025 recruiting class members. Tom Izzo and his staff did a magnificent job landing the commitments of 4-star prospects Cam Ward and Jordan Scott earlier this fall and now they are officially Spartans.

Both Ward and Scott inked their letters of intent with the Spartans, signing during the initial signing period in college basketball.

Michigan State will now be looking to either finish the 2025 class with one more prospect, or turn their attention to the NCAA Transfer Portal at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season .

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Michigan State basketball officially signs 2025 recruiting class

Michigan State basketball has officially signed two 4-star recruits out of the DMV

Michigan State basketball has officially signed their 2025 recruiting class. On Wednesday, the Spartans got Cam Ward and Jordan Scott to officially sign their National Letters of Intent.

Ward and Scott are notable for a few reasons:

1. They are both 4-star recruits, making a nice class for the Spartans.

2. They are both from the DMV, meaning the Spartans were able to beat out teams like Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia for their commitment. No small feat.

3. Both players are 6-foot-7 forwards, a size-profile that has become extremely important in the modern basketball game.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on Twitter @IAmBrewster.