Mario Cristobal: Shannon Dawson and Cameron Ward Will Lead Miami's Air Raid Offense
There will be an Air Raid at Hard Rock Stadium this fall.
With the addition of Cameron Ward, quarterback transfer from Washington State, offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson can go deep in his playbook. He can get the most out of Ward, who was one of the most coveted players in the transfer portal.
"It's a perfect marriage because you are looking at very high football IQ guys that continue to evolve," Cristobal said at the ACC Kickoff on Wednesday. "There are passing principles that relate to the air raid, but there's also five, six and seven man protection and play action. Schematical stiff that is more towards a power spread team as well as a very efficient and powerful run game that we've also put together."
Cristobal compared Ward to the playmaking abilities of Vinny Testaverde and Bernie Kosar, both who enjoyed plenty of success at Miami and in the National Football League.
"Miami, we got two different eras now, brother." Cristobal said. "We go back to Testaverde and Kosar. Miami has gone open spread, air raid, condensed, just about everything. We believe in Cam Ward and we believe that Cam Ward will allow Miami to do things that Miami hasn't been able to do in a long, long time. We have complete trust and faith in him and the guys around him."
Cristobal is a big believer in Ward's ability to lead this football team.
"He's a dynamic player. Even more importantly, he's a dynamic human being," Cristobal said. "Strong leader. Raised the right way. Unbelievable parents. Like the guys beside him, those sets of parents are the reason why those guys are the way they are."
Finally, Cristobal said that Ward was the missing piece of the puzzle that Miami has not had in recent years. It seems as though Miami was always a strong quarterback away from adding more wins to their record.
"When you combine that with the talent he has and the guys around him, it's exciting. But we're not here to make any predictions or projections," Cristobal said. "We just want to get to work. We want to get to work, get at it, go prove ourselves."
ACC Network's Mark Richt, a former coach of the Hurricanes said this of Ward.
"In my days at Florida State, there was a "C-Ward", Charlie Ward. There's a new C-Ward in town, but he's in Miami. Cam Ward, that cat is legit."
Scott Salomon is a contributor to Miami Hurricanes On SI. He can be reached at sas@southfloridamedianetwork.com. He can also be followed on X @ScottSalomonNFL.
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SCOTT SALOMON
Scott Salomon joined On SI in April 2024 covering breaking news and analysis for the Miami Dolphins site, and has since contributed to the Miami Heat, Back in the Day NBA, Miami Hurricanes and San Antonio Spurs sites. Scott is based in South Florida and has been covering the local and national sports scene for 35 years. He's covered and has been credentialed for the Super Bowl, the NFL Combine, various Orange Bowls and college football championship games. Scott was also credentialed for the NBA All-Star game and covered the Miami Heat during their first six seasons for USA TODAY. Scott is a graduate of the University of Miami School of Communication and the St. Thomas University School of Law. Scott has two sons and his hobbies include watching sports on television and binge watching shows on various streaming services.