Cam Ward has transformed Miami into team to beat in ACC with Heisman-worthy start

The offseason has become a dangerous hype machine that relies too heavily on numbers.That doesn’t take into account chemistry, fit and continuity.

We get crazy about transfers and automatically believe however they have performed at a former school will translate immediately.It frequently doesn’t work that way.Oftentimes, patience is needed.But in the case of Miami and quarterback Cam Ward, the opposite has been true.

There hasn’t been a more valuable player in the entire country, the senior quarterback leading the Hurricanes to their second 4-0 start since 2018.In a soft conference that has seen preseason contenders like Clemson, Florida State and N.C.

State struggle, Miami has been dominant.Ward, the former Washington State star, has thrown for 1,439 yards,14 touchdowns and completed 72.4 percent of his passes as Miami has outscored the opposition 209-41.

The transfer class which also includes running back Damien Martinez (Oregon State) and defensive linemen Tyler Baron (Tennessee) and Elijah Alston (Marshall) has produced immediately.Think about this: Miami is already four wins shy of its most victories in a single season since 2017, the last time it reached double figures.The schedule is littered with winnable games, the biggest remaining test is a visit to undefeated Louisville on Oct.

19.Miami will likely be favored the rest of the way otherwise.Look no further than Ward for how a program that was a combined 12-13 the previous two seasons under Mario Cristobal, and closed last year by losing six of its last nine games, has seemingly been flipped overnight.

Ward arrived with extensive experience – he has now played in 48 college games – and the desire to make a name for himself at a big-name program.He has quickly made his mark, becoming the first quarterback to start his career at the school with four consecutive 300-yard passing games.

In a 50-15 rout of South Florida on Saturday, Ward became the 13th college football player to throw for 15,0...