SAN ANTONIO – When a player is drafted No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft, they join an exclusive club.
On Thursday night, Cam Ward became part of that elite group when the Tennessee Titans selected the quarterback as their top pick.
It’s a moment Ward will never forget.
The same holds true for Ward’s family, friends and everyone who crossed paths with the Texas native on his journey to the NFL.
Ward showed that he hasn’t forgotten those who believed in him from the beginning by inviting his former head coach at the University of Incarnate Word, Eric Morris, to the green room at Lambeau Field, the site of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Jack Morris with the dot!! 🎯 https://t.co/QJ45PBpNqt
— Eric Morris (@__CoachMorris) April 25, 2025
Ward’s only scholarship offer to play college football came from Morris in 2020. When Morris left UIW to become the offensive coordinator at Washington State in 2022, Ward followed.
Trevor Begue, one of Ward’s primary receivers at UIW in 2021, believes the “Ward Era” at Incarnate Word could have lasted longer had Morris stayed.
“Coach Morris was a major reason I came here after seeing how he operated and built this program from the ground up,” Begue said. “Cam followed him to Washington State, that shows you what kind of person Morris is.”
“I truly believe if Coach Morris had stayed another year, Ward would have stayed at UIW in 2022, to be honest.”
Begue has been both a teammate and an opponent of Ward during their college careers.
Begue was on the opposing sideline with McNeese State for Ward’s first college game and, after transferring to UIW, caught Ward’s final touchdown pass as a Cardinal later that season.
“When I was at McNeese and he threw his first touchdown, I thought, ‘This kid’s legit.’ We had heard about him, but we hadn’t seen him play because their first game was canceled due to a snowstorm in Texas,” Begue recalled. “Then, in my first game with UIW against Youngstown State, I’ll never forget it—he threw me a no-look pass across the field, and I knew, ‘This kid’s really, really good.’”
“It still hasn’t sunk in that I played with the No. 1 pick in the draft.”
Ward’s other key target at UIW was Taylor Grimes. Like Ward, Grimes was eager for someone to take a chance on him and was scouted by Morris at a football camp.
“It’s unreal,” Grimes said. “Friends texted me, ‘You played with the No. 1 pick at Incarnate Word,’ and it’s wild to think he came from a school many hadn’t even heard of. But they know it now because of Cam.”
“It’s huge for this program to get that recognition.”
UIW’s current head coach, Clint Killough, was on Morris’ staff when Ward played for the team in 2021.
Killough was the perfect choice to continue what Morris started at UIW after GJ Kinne left for the Texas State job a year after Morris’ departure.
Killough said Morris called him from Lambeau Field on draft day. When Killough had the chance to speak with Ward, he playfully pitched a future role with the program.
“I asked if he wanted to be our assistant GM after seeing Max Crosby’s tweet to Eastern Michigan,” Killough said with a grin. “Ward asked about the pay, and I told him I might swing a single dorm and a meal plan. I think we reached an agreement, but we’ll see.”
Killough’s lighthearted exchange surely drew a laugh from Ward, but given the profound impact UIW had on his life, it wouldn’t be surprising if Ward one day returns to give back to the program that launched his college career.