Joel Klatt Says Auburn Target Cam Ward Wouldn't be A Heisman Contender at Different School

Where should transfer QB Cam Ward go?

Author:
Lance Dawe
Publish date:
Dec 12, 2023 1:29 PM EST

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It looks like the Auburn Tigers aren't the No. 1 favorite for any quarterback on the board right now.

The Tigers seem to have pursued a number of portal quarterbacks, but none of them heavily. Duke transfer Riley Leonard was a prospect for Hugh Freeze and Auburn for a couple of weeks, but Leonard eventually chose Notre Dame. Coastal Carolina quarterback Grayson McCall was a huge Auburn target a year ago but since reentering the portal this cycle there seems to be very little mutual interest between the two parties.

Auburn has shown interest in Cam Ward, a transfer from Washington State who started his career at Incarnate Word. However, Ward is taking a look at a few other schools, likely ahead of the Tigers right now.

Fox Sports commentator Joel Klatt recently shared his opinion on Ward and where he should transfer. If Ward wants to be apart of the Heisman conversation next season, he should stay away from Miami.

“If he goes to the right place and if he makes the right decision? Cam Ward is going to be in the Heisman Trophy race,” said Klatt. “There’s no doubt. There’s some places that I don’t think that that’s the case. For instance, and this is not a knock, but if he goes to Miami? I don’t see him being in the Heisman race. I don’t see Miami having the type of team season that it would require for him to go do that."

Miami, Florida State, Ohio State and Auburn are the four schools currently in the mix for Ward's services. Klatt went on to discuss Florida State and Ohio State as better places for Ward to go, but never mentioned the Tigers.

“Maybe Florida State is a place, but the one spot where I know he would produce, be developed, and be the centerpiece for a team that would compete for their conference championship and, very likely, be in the College Football Playoff is Ohio State. For me, if Cam Ward were to go to Ohio State... He would be firmly inside of that top-five for the Heisman Trophy, at least in the preseason.”