Proof of NIL concept for Dan Radakovich came in the third quarter Saturday at The Swamp. The Miami athletic director watched Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward evade a Florida lineman and sling his third touchdown of the day to receiver Jacolby George.
Radakovich, who spent 10 years at Clemson, had seen the play before.
"Trevor Lawrence, freshman year," Radakovich told CBS Sports. "Exact same throw. Turned his hips and threw a rope. Trevor did the same thing against Georgia Tech. It was eerie just how similar they were -- frozen ropes to the receiver."
Not to compare Ward to a No. 1 overall draft pick just yet, but the hyperbole was flying around Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Saturday faster than Florida fans heading for the exits. Miami certainly looks like it has something special after an historic opening-day win over the Gators.
"I'm a gunslinger," Ward told reporters last week. "That's just what I do."
If you noticed a bit of the old Miami swagger creeping into the Saturday's proceedings, you're starting to get it. It's not just the quarterback who threw for 385 yards and three touchdowns. It's the coach (Mario Cristobal) and the program. Those who invested in Saturday's are getting return on investment in this NIL era.
"It's been a three-year process of Mario's sweat and blood and everything else to try to rebuild this roster," said Zach Burr, co-founder of Canes Connection, Miami's school-affiliated collective. "For us to be able to play a small part in helping him to do that days like [Saturday] validate all the hard work."
Burr, 39, is a former political fundraiser who saw an opening with NIL in July 2021. Six months later, Cristobal was hired. It might have taken until Saturday for all of it to gel.
"When you bring in someone like Mario who is an elite recruiter, if you don't give him the resources what's the point of bringing him in?" Burr added. "You can't bring in talent unless you have a solid NIL program."
Two seasons and one game into Cristobal's return to his alma mater, he is a modest 13-13. The process of resurrecting the program was akin to turning around an aircraft carrier. That has proven difficult for the 23 years since the last national championship -- but, as it turns out, it's not impossible.
"Nobody really likes to talk about the starting point," Cristobal told reporters after the game. "I knew when I got to Miami there was a lot of work to do, and these guys have been through a lot, and they made the decision that it was enough, they've had enough, and they were going to prove that by the way they played the game."
The starting point was Miami going all in on the NIL era. The school is paying Cristobal $80 million over 10 years. Booster John Ruiz injected his largesse into the scene. Canes Connection was formed in reaction to what it took to compete in the NIL space.
That space is more defined now. Canes Connection has an intended goal of raising $10 million a year. That's half the total it took to assemble Ohio State's roster, according to Buckeyes AD Ross Bjork.
What chance, then, does Miami have to compete at that level?
"Ohio State, you saw what they did in the transfer portal," Burr said. "We kind of did the same thing. In modern day college football, you're not going to be competitive if you don't have full alignment on your NIL."
Miami needed a firestarter at quarterback, an "alpha" as Cristobal continues to call Ward. The Texas native was arguably the No. 1 prospect in the portal this past offseason. After stops at Incarnate Word and Washington State, Ward had thrown for more yards than any Division I player since 2020.
Then he declared for the NFL Draft on New Year's Day.
— Cameron Ward (@Cameron7Ward) January 1, 2024
Twelve days later, Ward changed his mind and committed to Miami. Published reports stated Ward's draft evaluation had him somewhere between the third and fifth round.
With talent to spare, and market, Ward could leverage his value.
"Hundred percent he bet on himself," Burr said.
That, and there was enough money on the table to make a run at a higher draft position.
" I wanted to be somewhere that was set," Ward said Saturday. "Miami was pretty much set."
Those words haven't been uttered regarding Miami football for a while. But Cristobal finally made the decision between staying at Oregon and coming home because of his ability to recruit in South Florida ... and elsewhere.
His last two recruiting classes have been ranked fourth (2024) and seventh (2023) by 247Sports. The 2025 class is ranked 12th currently, highest among ACC teams. The transfer class that was ranked 10th heading into the season showed out on Saturday.
Starting running back Damien Martinez (65 yards, 15 carries) came from Oregon State. Safety Mishael Powell (from Washington) returned an interception 67 yards. Linebacker Francisco Mauigoa (2023 transfer from Washington State) had 1.5 tackles for loss and broke up a pass.
Ward calmly threw for at least three touchdowns for the 24th time in his career. That includes a staggering 71 touchdown passes in one calendar year from February 2021 to December 2021 due to playing two seasons at Incarnate Word that year in the aftermath of COVID-19.
Only a handful of top players have had their NIL deals revealed on the record by a reliable source. CBS Sports checked around for Ward's number. Start at $1 million and go north.
"The average top 25 highest earning quarterbacks are bringing home $819,020 in annual compensation," Opendorse founder Blake Lawrence, whose company evaluates NIL player valuation, said. "Given Cam Ward's status as a proven transfer to a school with a well-funded collective, it's safe to say he's earning in the high six-figures or low seven-figures this year."
"He was really torn on that [NFL] decision," Burr said. "People aren't going to believe this. That month where he was going back and forth, it wasn't a financial decision. It was a decision on what's best for [his] future. He thinks he made the right decision. I tend to agree with him."
So does Canes Nation. And as long as we're on the subject, here are the two throws to which Radakovich referred.
Go to the 2:06 mark for Ward.
Go to the 1:48 mark for Lawrence.
Someday, we may be able to compare No. 1 draft choices. For now, CBS Sports NFL Draft expert Ryan Wilson's has Ward as the third quarterback taken No. 13 to the Raiders in his latest mock draft.
Miami's enthusiasm might have to be tempered. Radakovich was reminded the program has been here before. Since a 10-0 start in 2017 that saw the Canes soar to No. 2 in the College Football Playoff Rankings, Miami is exactly four games above .500 in the six-plus seasons that followed.
Except, there's a clear difference this year through one fantastic season opener. There's a new gunslinger in town -- and he has help.
"Different cast of characters now," the AD said.
