Monday Musings: A raw deal in New York for Cam Ward; portalmania begins

It’s Monday. Yep.

And it’s a post-Heisman Trophy ceremony Monday. The first one of those in some time for a Miami player (2002 with Ken Dorsey and Willis McGahee, IIRC). And…..it didn’t go Cam Ward’s way, and that’s an understatement.

So, yeah…..let’s get to it.

1) I didn’t expect Cam Ward to win the Heisman Trophy. But….I didn’t expect the voting to go the way that it did.

I mean, you had two candidates in Travis Hunter and Ashton Jeanty who had done some very rare things in the college football world this year, and the hype and vibe was that the winner was going to go to one of them. That’s fine.

But…..Ward finishing a DISTANT fourth and WELL behind Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel was an absolute farce and a slap in the face to Ward and what Miami accomplished this season. Gabriel threw for almost 600 less yards and 8 fewer touchdowns with 1 fewer interceptions than Ward. But hey, being the quarterback of the best team in college football has always seemed to matter more than statistics themselves.

I can’t help but think that if Miami’s rotten defense had been less rotten in November, that Ward would have been no worse than third on a playoff-bound Miami team. I do have to wonder how much he faltered by not willing his team past a lifeless defense. Unfair, but with so many unique and incredible resumes, it was what it was this year.

2) Miami had a couple of interesting wide receiver happenings today. First, Xavier Restrepo MIGHT have played his last game in a Miami uniform in Syracuse.

I mean, I kind of felt like that was a foregone conclusion for a lot of players after the game. However, the decision by Ward to play in the bowl game opened the door for Miami to have perhaps all of their starters for the game. It’s not clear if X will be among them.

I mean, I can’t blame him if he doesn’t play. At this point, it’s about what’s doing best for him as he gets ready to take his next step to the NFL. However, I can’t help but hope that he does play so we can get one last look at this great offense one final time. Winning 11 games and potentially finishing in the top 10 in the final polls isn’t something we can sneeze at after 20 years.

3) The other thing is that Isiaah Horton is reportedly going into the portal. I hope that can still be prevented.

Whether that’s money or whatever, Horton would be a major hit to the prospects of Miami’s offense in 2025. I won’t believe it’s done until he’s gone – maybe Mario Cristobal and his staff can convince him to stay. But if he DOES go…..man, that’s something I wouldn’t have expected. Horton seemed like the heir apparent next season. Something to surely keep an eye on in the coming days.

4) Perhaps a good quarterback would help sway his decision. Washington State QB John Mateer is reportedly hitting the portal.

Pulling Washington State’s QB from the transfer portal for the second straight year would be pure comedy, but could also be a very potent acquisition for UM. Mateer was an outstanding dual-threat QB last season and put up compelling numbers. He threw for 3139 yards with 29 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He also totaled 826 rushing yards with another 15 scores on the ground. He will be a difference maker almost anywhere he goes, and the hope is that Miami is among his potential landing spots.

5) Lastly, Ward and Restrepo were named AP first team All-Americans on Monday.

That’s the big one. And it’s great to see them get the honor they so very much deserve, particularly for Ward after the Heisman vote.

Go Canes!