The Miami Hurricanes have been a team who has bookended significant success in the 21st century, but with not much in between.

At the start of the 2000s, the Hurricanes developed back into a force, with Ken Dorsey under center. They were robbed of an appearance in the national championship game in 2000, and they were the victim of a terribly late call that took national championship number six out of their hands.

In recent years, the program has surged back to national relevance, and it started in 2024 with Cam Ward. In his one season in Coral Gables, he set several school single-season records on the way to becoming a Heisman Trophy finalist and the number one overall pick in the NFL Draft.

Naturally, both men found themselves on ESPN writer Bill Connelly’s recent list of top 100 quarterbacks of the 21st century. But the placement of both is a bit of a head scratcher.

Ken Dorsey and Cam Ward check in on ESPN’s list of top 100 quarterbacks of the 2000s

Dorsey came in at No. 43. This is what Connelly had to say about his spot:

“An early-2000s Mac Jones: He inherited an all-time great supporting cast and piloted it beautifully enough to earn a pair of top-5 Heisman finishes. The U went 35-2 in his three seasons as a starter and has won double-digit games only three times since his departure.”

I’m not sure I agree on the Mac Jones part, but having Dorsey in the spot he is with some players ahead of him seems criminal to me. Case in point, Florida quarterback Rex Grossman checks in at 37 despite winning nothing and losing to Dorsey’s Canes twice handily during their three years as starting quarterbacks from 2000-2002.

Dorsey also being behind players like Chase Daniel and Graham Harrell seems a bit unfair as well. The numbers are obviously there with both, but at some point, doesn’t winning (35-2 as a starter) and playing for and winning championships mean more?

Ward found himself at No. 55, right in the middle of the pack. But Ward’s issue was time more than anything. He found himself in a huge way in his final year of college at Miami, setting single-season school records for passing yards (4313), passing touchdowns (39), and completion percentage (67.2%). Miami’s offense was arguably the best in the program’s history, and there has been a lot of elite talent that’s come through Coral Gables.

But his defense let him and the rest of the team down and cost the team a place in the College Football Playoff. It feels like he might be higher had they found their way in.

Ward is the all-time career passing touchdown leader in Division I football history for his time between Incarnate Word, Washington State, and Miami. Between that and the records he shattered at Miami, it feels like he warrants more consideration — especially with someone like Diego Pavia all the way up at No. 36.