Speaking with reporters at the ACC spring meetings, Miami coach Mario Cristobal said he never heard from ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. about Cam Ward as he spoke with “a million people” ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft. Wednesday evening, Kiper responded.
Kiper took to social media to clap back at Cristobal, who said neither he nor Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson spoke with the longtime analyst about Ward. Kiper pointed out the fact he had Ward higher on his Big Board than other analysts and also the fact he didn’t talk with Deion Sanders about his son, Shedeur, either.
The conversation around Ward and Shedeur Sanders made for a major storyline during the draft as the former Colorado star fell down the board despite being Kiper’s top-ranked quarterback. Ward, of course, ended up going No. 1 overall to the Tennessee Titans.
Mario Cristobal claims he spoke to a million people about Cam Ward, yet the one he didn’t speak to, being me, had Ward ranked higher (6th on my Big Board) than any of the other draft experts. Interesting isn’t it. And oh by the way, I didn’t speak to Deion about Shedeur either. I… https://t.co/bCfZbqBenV
— Mel Kiper Jr. (@MelKiperESPN) May 14, 2025
“Mario Cristobal claims he spoke to a million people about Cam Ward, yet the one he didn’t speak to, being me, had Ward ranked higher (6th on my Big Board) than any of the other draft experts,” Kiper wrote on X. “Interesting isn’t it. And oh by the way, I didn’t speak to Deion about Shedeur either. I need another Orange Crush after this nonsense.”
This story will be updated.