WSU football boasts 201 NFL draft picks over the rich history of the school’s program. With Kyle Williams and Esa Pole likely to join the ranks of Wazzu grads in the NFL, that number is expected to increase in the next three days. The big question, however, is Cam Ward.
Ward, who started for two seasons with WSU, is widely expected to be selected No. 1 overall by the Tennessee Titans. Should WSU count Ward as one of their own, or does his transfer to Miami remove him from the list of Cougar greats?
On the one hand, Ward is not a WSU alumnus. He transferred to Miami, where he played his senior season and will graduate from.
On the other hand, Ward spent more time at WSU than anywhere else. He played two seasons at WSU after transferring from Incarnate Word, and was a Wazzu star during his time there.
The question that will become increasingly common as the transfer portal grows in popularity is: can (and should) schools take credit for players who transferred away from them and got better?
In Ward’s case, it feels like the answer should be yes. WSU developed Ward and crafted him into the Heisman candidate that he became at Miami. Wazzu was one of the only D-1 schools that gave Ward a chance to be a starter, and they helped him craft the skills that are now launching him into the No. 1 pick conversations.
Then again, Ward abandoned WSU and chose to spend his final year at Miami. Why should WSU take credit for Ward when he so clearly chose against them for his final year of eligibility?
Perhaps out of pride, and perhaps because fans still remember Ward fondly. WSU will increasingly feature fewer and fewer NFL prospects, because most NFL-caliber players who do find their way to Pullman will have likely transferred to a bigger program by their junior season.
That’s not a knock on Wazzu, it is simply the reality of the post-NIL world that we now live in. There is a real possibility that WSU will never graduate a first-round pick again. The Cougars will likely be lucky to have multiple seniors hear their names called on draft day.
That’s why they should be able to still take at least some credit for the players they developed. WSU is a stepping stone program that has developed many great players. Although Cam Ward did not finish his journey with the Cougs, he would not have gotten to where he is now without Wazzu, and that’s why WSU should take credit for him when he goes No. 1 overall tomorrow.
