Latest news with #IncarnateWord
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Roy Alexander joins Texas Tech football team after 100-catch season with Incarnate Word
Wide receiver Roy Alexander caught 100 passes for 1,108 yards and 13 TDs in one season at Incarnate Word. He played three years at UAlbany.
American Press
5 days ago
- Sport
- American Press
Holding all the Cards: Defending champs team to beat
EDITOR'S NOTE: Third in a series of nine stories previewing Southland Conference football teams. I ncarnate Word will try to continue its run as top dog in the Southland Conference. Winners of four conference championships since 2018, including three in the last four years, Incarnate Word has become the biggest kids on the SLC block. Head coach Clint Killough will try to keep things going in San Antonio after getting his team to a No. 6 national ranking at one point last year. Killough said he has already forgotten last season, when the Cardinals made it to the Football Championship Subdivision playoff quarterfinals one season after losing in the semifinals. 'We have done a great job of leaving 2024 in 2024,' Killough said. 'We have looked in the mirror and have gotten back to work in 2025.' The Cardinals have recently spent more than 50 weeks in the FCS Top 25 rankings. They also have a 2-1 record against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents over the last five years. With six preseason all-Americans, UIW seems poised to have another successful season. The Cardinals are the SLC preseason favorites. UIW got a big lift when Cameron Ward, a former Cardinals quarterback, was picked first in the NFL draft last spring. 'It is a privilege to play at Incarnate Word, and we have built on that,' Killough said. Finding the next quarterback is the key. The Cardinals brought in transfers E.J. Colson (Purdue/Cent. Florida) and Deyon Batiste (Wyoming) to go with three-year Cardinal Richard Torres to battle for the starting job. 'We got three guys who are studs in the program, so we got competition across the board,' Killough said. Whoever wins the job will have a big-time receiver as their top target in Jalen Walthall. The first-team all-American had 85 receptions for 1,290 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns last season, averaging 15.1 yards per catch. Lontrell Turner will also be back after rushing for 562 yards on 108 carries. Thanks to an offensive line led by Traveon Newcome, one of three third-team preseason all-Americans, the Cardinals ran for 2,665 yards. The defense is led by Declan Williams, a third-team all-American who made 62 tackles, 11 tackles-for-loss and 3.5 sacks off the edge. Linebacker Dune Smith finished with 80 tackles and 11.5 for loss with six sacks and one interception. He also had three quarterback hurries and one forced fumble. The Cardinals have all the pieces to win the Southland again if they find their quarterback. That's perhaps their biggest challenge of all.
Fox News
29-07-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
'Wake Up. Watch Film': The Origin of Titans QB Cam Ward's Obsessive Drive
"Work out, stay in the playbook and throw the f--- out of the ball." That's what Cam Ward said when asked about his summer plans at the end of Titans minicamp in June. The blunt statement was a verbal representation of how the No. 1 overall pick carries himself. In an era when athletes spend more and more time on their brands, Tennessee's hopeful franchise quarterback embodies simplicity. He doesn't draw any more attention to himself than is necessary. Ward just wants to play football, literally. "Phone on DND. Wake up. Watch film," Ward said last week when asked how he manages to carry the weight of expectations. "I talk to five people a day besides my teammates. Talk to my parents and my dog. That's really it. I just be chilling. Go home and I don't really do too much. Eat and then go to sleep." With training camp just underway, the Titans have already come to admire Ward's approach. It's the same one that's been integral to his improbable rise from zero-star recruit — with stops at Incarnate Word and Washington State before starring at Miami last season — to becoming the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft. It's an approach molded, in many ways, by his family. Ward learned the importance of routine from his father, Calvin, and that only his work would bring him peace. When you play well, they're going to talk about you. When you play badly, they're going to talk about you. That's what Calvin stressed when Cameron started his college career at Incarnate Word, the only school to offer him a scholarship coming out of high school. "'You got the offer you wanted. You got an opportunity to go prove yourself, so you got to block everything out,'" Calvin told me of his message to his son as he started college. "'It's about you, football and your education now. That's all it's about.'" That approach paid dividends for Ward, whose upbringing offers further context. He saw his grandparents twice per week while growing up in little West Columbia, Texas. His paternal grandfather dropped out of school in eighth grade to help care for his 13 brothers and sisters when their father passed away, taking a job as a construction worker. He rose to become the vice president of the small company. On draft night, Ward wore the 25-year-old Rolex that had belonged to his late grandfather, who had worn it no more than three times in his life. "My dad was a quiet man … pretty much leading by example," Calvin said. "Simple man. Family man. Church deacon. Never took a vacation." For the past 35 years, Calvin has worked at a nuclear plant. He drives an hour from the family's home in West Columbia to begin his 10-hour shift at 7 a.m. When Cameron was young and Calvin got home, they would promptly go to the backyard to do throwing drills with a passing net — the reps he didn't get in Columbia High School's Wing-T offense. "It got to the point in high school where when I got home, I say, 'Let's go get it' and he's already done it," Calvin recalled. But Calvin knew his son's mentality was truly different at the start of his college career. Ward's first college game was on the road at McNeese State. His parents stayed in the same hotel as the team. When Cameron visited them before curfew the night before the game, he brought his play sheet — color-coded, with more than a couple of hundred plays — to go over the calls. "It was like 'OK Dad, this is what we coming out with,'" Calvin recalled him saying. "Or, 'Hey, in this situation, this is what we're going to do.' And I ask him questions. "I'm sitting there looking during that first game and I'm like, 'Based on what he said, this is going to happen,'" Calvin added. "And it happened." UIW is where Cameron learned to obsess over film. He watched so much there that coaches would have to tell him to go back to his dorm. That approach has traveled with him to the NFL. Ward gets to the Titans' facility around 5 a.m., earlier than some of the coaches. It's a habit that began in the offseason program, when he'd do film study early with some of the rookie pass-catchers. Coach Brian Callahan has already talked to Ward about pacing himself. "Everybody always starts out of the gate pretty hot," Callahan said in June. "But you start to get into the actual routine, and you understand how long of a season it is and the marathon that it is for young players from the time they finish their college season to the time they finish NFL season. I've made that point [to him]. I'm not telling him what to do. I'm just making the point that there's a lot ahead of him that he's not aware of yet when it comes to this, the length and the week-to-week-to-week grind that comes up for these guys. It is a marathon." A marathon that Cameron will attack the only way he knows how. Last Tuesday, the Titans' reporting date for training camp, Ward arrived at the team facility at 4:45 a.m. "At the end of the day, Cameron wants to be successful," Calvin said. "He doesn't care about the glamor. He doesn't care about the glitz. He doesn't care about the money. He wants his team to win, and he wants to be successful. … When he hits the field, he wants to beat the brakes off. That's just who he is. "You've probably seen that there's not enough focus on him being the first pick or whatever," Calvin added. "He honestly does not care. That's the honest truth. He doesn't care. "He just wants to work, get better, help his team improve." Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
Fox Sports
28-07-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
'Wake Up. Watch Film': The Origin of Titans QB Cam Ward's Obsessive Drive
At the end of Titans minicamp in June, Cameron Ward was asked about his summer plans. "Work out, stay in the playbook and throw the f--- out of the ball," he said. The blunt statement was a verbal representation of how the No. 1 overall pick carries himself. In an era when athletes spend more and more time on their brands, Tennessee's hopeful franchise quarterback embodies simplicity. He doesn't draw any more attention to himself than is necessary. Ward just wants to play football, literally. "Phone on DND. Wake up. Watch film," Ward said last week when asked how he manages to carry the weight of expectations. "I talk to five people a day besides my teammates. Talk to my parents and my dog. That's really it. I just be chilling. Go home and I don't really do too much. Eat and then go to sleep." With training camp just underway, the Titans have already come to admire Ward's approach. It's the same one that's been integral to his improbable rise from zero-star recruit — with stops at Incarnate Word and Washington State before starring at Miami last season — to becoming the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft. It's an approach molded, in many ways, by his family. Ward learned the importance of routine from his father, Calvin, and that only his work would bring him peace. When you play well, they're going to talk about you. When you play badly, they're going to talk about you. That's what Calvin stressed when Cameron started his college career at Incarnate Word, the only school to offer him a scholarship coming out of high school. "'You got the offer you wanted. You got an opportunity to go prove yourself, so you got to block everything out,'" Calvin told me of his message to his son as he started college. "'It's about you, football and your education now. That's all it's about.'" That approach paid dividends for Ward, whose upbringing offers further context. He saw his grandparents twice per week while growing up in little West Columbia, Texas. His paternal grandfather dropped out of school in eighth grade to help care for his 13 brothers and sisters when their father passed away, taking a job as a construction worker. He rose to become the vice president of the small company. On draft night, Ward wore the 25-year-old Rolex that had belonged to his late grandfather, who had worn it no more than three times in his life. "My dad was a quiet man … pretty much leading by example," Calvin said. "Simple man. Family man. Church deacon. Never took a vacation." For the past 35 years, Calvin has worked at a nuclear plant. He drives an hour from the family's home in West Columbia to begin his 10-hour shift at 7 a.m. When Cameron was young and Calvin got home, they would promptly go to the backyard to do throwing drills with a passing net — the reps he didn't get in Columbia High School's Wing-T offense. "It got to the point in high school where when I got home, I say, 'Let's go get it' and he's already done it," Calvin recalled. But Calvin knew his son's mentality was truly different at the start of his college career. Ward's first college game was on the road at McNeese State. His parents stayed in the same hotel as the team. When Cameron visited them before curfew the night before the game, he brought his play sheet — color-coded, with more than a couple of hundred plays — to go over the calls. "It was like 'OK Dad, this is what we coming out with,'" Calvin recalled him saying. "Or, 'Hey, in this situation, this is what we're going to do.' And I ask him questions. "I'm sitting there looking during that first game and I'm like, 'Based on what he said, this is going to happen,'" Calvin added. "And it happened." UIW is where Cameron learned to obsess over film. He watched so much there that coaches would have to tell him to go back to his dorm. That approach has traveled with him to the NFL. Ward gets to the Titans' facility around 5 a.m., earlier than some of the coaches. It's a habit that began in the offseason program, when he'd do film study early with some of the rookie pass-catchers. Coach Brian Callahan has already talked to Ward about pacing himself. "Everybody always starts out of the gate pretty hot," Callahan said in June. "But you start to get into the actual routine, and you understand how long of a season it is and the marathon that it is for young players from the time they finish their college season to the time they finish NFL season. I've made that point [to him]. I'm not telling him what to do. I'm just making the point that there's a lot ahead of him that he's not aware of yet when it comes to this, the length and the week-to-week-to-week grind that comes up for these guys. It is a marathon." A marathon that Cameron will attack the only way he knows how. Last Monday, the day before the Titans' reporting date for training camp, Ward arrived at the team facility at 4:45 a.m. "At the end of the day, Cameron wants to be successful," Calvin said. "He doesn't care about the glamor. He doesn't care about the glitz. He doesn't care about the money. He wants his team to win, and he wants to be successful. … When he hits the field, he wants to beat the brakes off. That's just who he is. "You've probably seen that there's not enough focus on him being the first pick or whatever," Calvin added. "He honestly does not care. That's the honest truth. He doesn't care. "He just wants to work, get better, help his team improve." Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur . 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Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cam Ward Has Strong Words on His Plans Before Training Camp
Cam Ward Has Strong Words on His Plans Before Training Camp originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Former Miami Hurricane and No. 1 overall draft pick, Cam Ward, 23, emerged as one of football's most dynamic quarterbacks, defined by steady improvement and explosive statistical growth. Advertisement Over the course of a five-year collegiate career, Ward competed at Incarnate Word and Washington State before transferring to Miami for his final season, where he decisively raised his profile among the nation's elite passers. At Miami, Ward completed 305-of-454 pass attempts for a 67.2 percent completion rate while amassing 4,313 passing yards, 39 touchdowns and seven interceptions—a stat line that placed him amongst the best quarterbacks in college football. Meanwhile, the Tennessee Titans, coming off a dismal 3-14 campaign that left them at the bottom of the AFC South and tied for the worst record in the league, selected Ward first overall. Cam Ward at Titans Introductory press conference© Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images During the offseason, the 2025 NFL No. 1 overall draft pick made it clear that he intends to refine his skills without compromises while preparing mentally and physically for the challenges of the NFL. Advertisement In an interview amid a series of early minicamp practices, Ward was asked about his offseason plans, and he bluntly stated, 'Just work out, stay in the playbook, and throw the (expletive) out the ball.' Since joining the Tennessee Titans, Ward's performances during minicamp have provided a glimpse into his potential as a game manager and aggressor on the field. In his first day of mandatory minicamp drills, he completed an impressive 42-of-58 pass attempts during 7-on-7 sessions, including a stretch where he recorded 21 consecutive completions while connecting on several deep passes. Those early numbers, complemented by his measured growth and consistent work ethic, have raised expectations for his rookie season, where he is expected to compete for the starting job alongside Tennessee's second round draft pick, Will Levis. Related: Brian Callahan Explains Why Cam Ward Hasn't Been Named Titans' Starter Yet This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 12, 2025, where it first appeared.
