Cam Ward And Xavier Restrepo Reunite In Tennessee, Bringing Miami Bond To The NFL

Last month at the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the Tennessee Titans made former Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward the first overall pick in the draft. Following the conclusion of the draft, they added his favorite wide receiver during his time at Miami, Xavier Restrepo. The two have built a bond and a friendship that they are now taking to the NFL. Former Miami director of recruiting and assistant receivers coach spoke about how their friendship translates to on-field success.

"They’re real friends," said Cooney. "If Cam’s saying ‘Hey (expletive) get your (expletive) where it needs to be,’ (Xavier’s) not taking it as an insult or he’s not getting mad being that way. No. It’s like ‘This is my brother.’ They compete in everything they do. They go fishing. They do it all together. Seeing their relationship off the field, the on-the-field stuff is just a by-product."

However, there is the concern that after going undrafted and being signed as an undrafted free agent, that finding success with the Titans or even earning a roster spot could be a question mark for Restrepo. His former WR coach at Miami, Rob Likens, doesn't seem to think that will be an issue.

"X is going to be very productive. He’s going to make it in the NFL. I have absolutely no doubt," said Likens. "Get ready, Tennessee, because I’m telling you he’s going to outwork everybody on the field. If you’re lazy, you’re not going to want to hang around X. He’s going to make you look really bad with his work ethic... A lot of receivers always say ‘Hey man, I’m wide open on every play’ and you watch the film and there’s three guys all over him. It’s just his information he gave you was always reliable. He’s really smart. He understood defensive structure... which is really big for a slot receiver because those guys have got to understand defensive structure a lot more than outside guys do because those guys have got to find holes in the zone and where they’re aligned and whether a safety’s covering them. He was really smart in that way, and it really helped him out."

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