CB Ward is headed to the MAC

Miami (Ohio) shored up some depth in the defensive backfield today when they received a commitment from Fort Washington (Md.) Friendly cornerback Cornelius Ward. The 6-foot-1, 167-pounder picked the Red Hawks over offers from Akron, Buffalo and Marshall.

"I committed today to coach Montgomery, Johnson and Cooper," he said. "They all told me that they were waiting for it and were excited. Coach Johnson was so excited that he had to put the phone down for a second."

Ward's decision was between two schools, Miami (Ohio) and Buffalo.

"Both of those schools were really good to me since my main focus was to look into a business degree," he said. "I did think about Buffalo and like that they are an up and coming program, but Miami weighed on me and I like where they are headed a little bit more. It was close and I had a list of pros and cons and Miami (Ohio) won out. For me it was a win-win situation."

The three-star prospect looks forward to the chance to compete for a starting job next season.

"My chances of playing are really good," he said. "They have a starting senior at one position and the other is open. I'll immediately be in the two-deep rotation and have a chance to fight for that spot. Hopefully it will be mine a couple games into the season.

"Between now and then I'm looking to go in the weight room and work on my footwork. I know I have the frame, I just want to get a little bigger."

Ward plans to enroll at Miami (Ohio) in June.

"The recruiting process has been long and I'm glad it's finally to an end. I'm happy to be a Red Hawk."