Happy Monday, everyone!
Yeah, I’ve been out a hot minute. Took a week and a half vacay abroad, but I’m back, and after some quality research, it’s time to get back into some Canes athletics.
So, sit back, relax, and let’s take a deep dive into the Miami Hurricanes-related happenings clogging my noggin on this fine Monday.
1) Cam Ward is going to be a Tennessee Titan, given what Tennessee’s done lately.
I don’t buy the talk from the Titans’ front office that they’re still evaluating what they’re doing with the first overall pick. I mean, they’re going to say that, and I suppose you never know what someone will drop into your lap at any given moment as far as a trade offer.
But Tennessee has clearly put themselves into position to take Ward with the first overall pick in next month’s draft. The team made a couple of moves this offseason at the position, but they were moves that were obviously for a backup role, as they signed both Brandon Allen and Tim Boyle. For those Cane fans who also follow the Dolphins, well, they saw Boyle last year in place of an injured Tua Tagovailoa, and it was flat-out gross.
The Titans also still have 2023 second-round pick Will Levis, who struggled mightily as their starter. Tennessee’s president of operations Chad Brinker said the plan is for Levis to compete for the starting job, but the writing is on the wall with Levis, and it says: “backup”.
In the NFL, if you don’t have a quarterback - absent very few exceptions - you don’t have a shot of competing for championships. The Titans are in a division with two teams that have franchise QBs and a third that’s still managed to be competitive in the AFC playoff picture without one in Indy.
Ward didn’t throw at the Combine, but he did at Miami’s Pro Day, and he had a convoy of Tennessee coaches and executives in attendance for it. He didn’t disappoint either.
Titans contingent for Cam Ward's Pro Day at the Univ. of Miami: President of football ops Chad Brinker, GM Mike Borgonzi, ass't GM Dave Ziegler, VP Reggie McKenzie, head coach Brian Callahan, OC Nick Holz and QBs coach Bo Hardegree.
First pick in hand, the cavalry's at The U.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 24, 2025
Connect all the dots, and absent a truckload of draft capital, you can go ahead and plan on ordering your Tennessee Titans Cam Ward jersey once April has come and gone. I would have rather seen Ward play in New York with Malik Nabers and the Giants, but c’est la vie. Go be great in (very likely) Nashville, Cam.
2) Speaking of Cams, ours here at State of the U talked about the commitment of Joel Ervin, but I wanted to also touch base on it.
When you talk about three-star prospects, you hope to find guys who have simply been overlooked by the major recruiting outlets and/or guys with terrific physical upside. I almost feel like it’s some NFL seventh-round draftees: guys with significant upsides if they can reach their potential.
Ervin’s potential to me is steep, and that starts and ends with the physical gifts the good lord has given him. Standing over 6’6” and 330 pounds, he has the size and frame to become an anchor on the line. His skills were enough to draw interest from a host of noteworthy programs, including USC, Georgia, Auburn, Florida, and several others.
As long as Miami is good up front, I won’t worry much about the offense, and landing players like this is what’s going to keep Miami strong on the offensive front for years to come. Terrific grab by Mario Cristobal and Alex Mirabal, one that could pay off substantially.
3) I feel like this has been a weekly gripe, but we really are in the midst of another lost baseball season in Coral Gables.
Your Hurricanes now sit at 2-7 in the ACC and 15-14 overall after leaving Chapel Hill losing 2 of 3 games. Only one team is below them in ACC play, and that’s Notre Dame at 2-10. Miami had a 1-4 week last week that included a humiliating 11-2 defeat against Stetson in a mid-week game at home.
Unless things change quickly and sharply over the next couple of weeks, Miami’s going to find themselves in a massive hole that will be almost impossible to climb out of to have a shot at an at large spot in the NCAA tournament. Missing the tourney two years in a row should certainly (or at least very much should) spell the end for J.D. Arteaga in Coral Gables. That is something that simply cannot happen.
We’ll see if Miami can make a 180-degree turn, but don’t hold your breath.
Go Canes!