Tag: Kyle Ford

Former five-star wide receiver in transfer portal puts Michigan football in top list

Yes, please. #GoBlue

Michigan football needs help at wide receiver in the worst way. With Darrius Clemons, Karmello English, Cristian Dixon and Jake Thaw entering the transfer portal while Roman Wilson and Cornelius Johnson graduated, the Wolverines are left with just four scholarship wide receivers on the roster this spring, with the two freshmen on the way this summer.

Earlier this week, the maize and blue appeared to get some potentially good news as former UCLA wide receiver Kyle Ford, who is in the transfer portal, having dropped his top six schools. Michigan football made the cut along with Florida, USC, South Carolina, Ohio State and Wake Forest.

As a recruit, Ford was listed as the No. 31 player in the country, regardless of position, by 247Sports’ proprietary rankings. OSU looms large due to the Buckeyes’ ability to reel in top WR talent, and especially since his former head coach is the new offensive coordinator in Columbus. USC poses a problem, too, with its pass-happy offense and what would simply be a cross-town move for Ford and it’s the school Ford originally committed to before transferring to UCLA.

Michigan was in the mix for the Orange (California) Lutheran five-star originally. He originally played high school ball at a familiar one to Wolverines fans, having gotten his start at Anaheim (California) Servite, where Mason Graham hailed from. However, there was no overlap between the two as Ford was in the 2019 recruiting class.

Former UCLA wide receiver includes Florida among top 6 schools

The Gators are a one of the few schools in the running for this veteran west coast receiver.

The college football transfer portal opened up earlier this week and it has already been busy early on. The Florida Gators are definitely in the market for some upgrades at a few positions, so Billy Napier and Co. have their work cut out over the next few months.

The Orange and Blue got some good news on Wednesday night when former UCLA Bruins wide receiver [autotag]Kyle Ford[/autotag] announced his top six preferred destinations, which included Florida.

Also named were the Michigan Wolverines, USC Trojans, South Carolina Gamecocks, Wake Forest Demon Deacons and Ohio State Buckeyes.

The 6-foot-3-inch, 220-pound pass-catcher began his collegiate career at USC from 2019-2023, where he saw action in 24 games, with two starts and 40 catches for the Trojans. Ford enrolled at UCLA in January 2023 after graduating from USC and participated in spring training, appearing in 12 games with two starts last fall.

He has one year of eligibility remaining.

Ford was a five-star recruit out of Orange Lutheran in California in the 2019 cycle; he is now rated at three stars in the transfer portal, per 247Sports.

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Is Kyle Ford transferring back to USC from UCLA?

Kyle Ford visited USC’s spring practice on Thursday. Everyone was — and is — talking about it.

Last year Kyle Ford shocked USC football fans when he transferred.  It wasn’t the fact that he wanted to get an opportunity to get more playing time, but where he wanted to do it. Kyle Ford stopped by USC’s fifth practice of spring camp on Thursday, which obviously gained a lot of attention. Is something about to happen?

Ford, if he does transfer back to USC in a few weeks (the spring portal window opens on April 16), would be the third Bruin this offseason to join (or in Ford’s case, rejoin) the Trojan roster. Both safety Kamari Ramsay and cornerback John Humphrey followed D’Anton Lynn from UCLA to USC.

Ford signed with the Trojans in 2019 after suffering a knee injury and missing the final five games of his senior season at Orange Lutheran. He played in just four games late in the year before suffering a second season-ending knee injury during the summer of 2020. He had limited receptions in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, but saved his best for last. Late in the 2022 USC-UCLA game, Ford caught a fade pass from Caleb Williams for the game-winning touchdown.

There seemed to be no ill will with USC, and it is notable that Ford shared a moment with Lincoln Riley during this Trojan practice on Thursday. If the interest is mutual, USC could use another veteran receiver on the team with just six returning scholarship wide receivers and true freshman Xavier Jordan available in 2024. Of that group, only redshirt junior Kyron Hudson and the redshirt senior transfer from Tufts, Jaden Richardson, are upperclassmen.

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Kyle Ford becomes 1st UCLA player to enter portal since DeShaun Foster hire

Kyle Ford is the first UCLA player to enter since DeShaun Foster was hired.

The UCLA Bruins football program has undergone a lot of changes ever since DeShaun Foster was named as the new head coach. On Friday, UCLA wide receiver Kyle Ford decided to enter the transfer portal, per Pete Nakos of On3.

Ford had just 22 catches for 236 yards and one touchdown this past season for UCLA after transferring from USC. Now, he enters the portal once again.

Fellow UCLA WR Keegan Jones initially entered the portal before deciding to withdraw and stay in Westwood. Ethan Garbers also decided to stay at UCLA in a big move, especially after Dante Moore left and went to Oregon. 

With Foster in town, Ford is officially the first UCLA player to enter the portal after Chip Kelly’s departure and the hire of Foster, so that is a good sign.

Whenever a new coach is hired, there is always expected to be a lot of transfers. However, that hasn’t been the case for UCLA, and it makes sense given the popularity of Foster from his years as an assistant in Westwood.

Ford’s time at UCLA did not go as expected, so now he enters the portal and hopes to find more playing time for another college program.

Former USC WR Kyle Ford beats Trojans, but had a tough season at UCLA

USC could have used Kyle Ford this year. It’s a real shame.

Ex-USC receiver Kyle Ford was shut out of the USC-UCLA game with zero catches and no yards, but he at least got a win over his former Trojans.

From Orange, California (Orange Lutheran High School), Ford was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2019. He committed to USC over offers from Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Notre Dame, Arizona and 22 other schools.

In four years with the Trojans, Ford battled back from multiple season-ending injuries. He always found a way to fight through adversity. The 2022 season was his best year at USC. Ford caught 20 passes for 265 yards and two touchdowns.

Ford has had a disappointing season for the Bruins with only 13 catches for 152 yards and 0 touchdowns with one regular season game remaining versus Cal.

USC couldn’t develop its defense this season. UCLA could not develop its offense … until it played USC. Kyle Ford, though, didn’t have anything close to the season he hoped he would have.

It’s a real shame. USC could have used him this year.

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This one hurts: Former USC WR Kyle Ford transfers to crosstown rival UCLA

Kyle Ford made clutch plays for USC against UCLA. Now he’s a Bruin? Not many transfers truly sting, but this one does.

Former USC four-star wide receiver Kyle Ford committed to UCLA football on Tuesday night, he announced on Twitter. Ford was with the Trojans for four seasons before entering the NCAA transfer portal on Jan. 12, and he has two years of collegiate eligibility remaining.

In his freshman season in 2019, Ford recorded just one reception for 20 receiving yards and one touchdown.

After not taking the field during the 2020 season due to injury, Ford returned even better in 2021. He finished his third collegiate season recording 19 receptions for 252 receiving yards and two touchdowns over eight games.

This past season, Kyle Ford saw the most playing time of his collegiate career. Through 12 games, he recorded 20 receptions for 365 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.

“It’s crazy because growing up, I was always a USC fan and never would have dreamed about playing for UCLA but I love the fit,” Ford said to Greg Biggins of 247Sports. “I’m really excited and I’m in the best shape of my life right now so I can’t wait to get going.”

Cal transfer J. Michael Sturdivant and Kyle Ford are the headline-generating additions to UCLA from the portal, while four-star class of 2023 signees Jeremiah McClure and Grant Gray will add to the depth chart for Chip Kelly and the Bruins next season.

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USC receiver Kyle Ford enters the transfer portal after inspiring 2022 season

Kyle Ford battled through injuries to become a productive, clutch WR for #USC in 2022. He made big contributions. Trojans everywhere are grateful for his efforts.

The journey of Kyle Ford embodies the “Fight On!” mentality of a true USC Trojan. Ford battled back from injuries and lived through the Clay Helton mess to become a quality receiver for USC in 2022. Ford was a productive receiver. He was a clutch receiver. He made important catches in important games, notably the UCLA game.

Kyle Ford picked himself off the mat. He was dealt some rough breaks. He looked misfortune squarely in the face, worked hard to overcome his bad luck, and prevailed. He authored a great story for USC, helping the Trojans to reach the Pac-12 Championship Game and earn 11 wins this past season.

He was a great Trojan.

Was.

Ford has chosen to enter the transfer portal.

He, like Gary Bryant, looked around at the loaded USC wide receiver room and made the simple, obvious calculation that he won’t get a huge amount of touches given all the other mouths Caleb Williams and Lincoln Riley will feed in 2023.

Ford wants to be a WR1 at another school, and he certainly should be able to find a program which will give him that richly-deserved opportunity.

Kyle Ford leaves USC to a chorus of gratitude and appreciation from Trojan fans who know how hard he worked and how much he sacrificed to make USC football better.

Thank you, Kyle Ford. Best wishes in everything. Greatness is part of your future.

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USC Football Report Card: Handing out grades to the Trojans after UCLA conquest

The biggest grade of all: #USC got an “A” for this very big “W” over UCLA. That was the assignment. The Trojans completed their homework.

That was quite a night.

If you had been following USC and UCLA all season long, you knew this was going to be a shootout.

You might have predicted a 48-45 final score. I personally had 52-42 USC if Eric Gentry had been able to play effectively and with force. He briefly played, but clearly was not fit enough to play a lot of snaps. If Gentry wasn’t able to play, I labeled this game as a coin flip, with one team winning 50-49 on a 2-point conversion.

Yet, even though we all knew this would be a video game, it was still thrilling and very entertaining to see it all play out if you were a neutral party.

If you were a USC fan, it was a roller-coaster of stress, anxiety, and ultimately, elation.

Let’s grade the Trojans on their performance:

USC receivers step up vs Arizona with Jordan Addison, Mario Williams injured

Losing one of Jordan Addison or Mario Williams is a big deal. #USC didn’t have either one. The other receivers really came through.

It was true going into the season that of all the position groups on the USC roster, wide receiver was the deepest. That said, no one wanted to find out what would happen if the two best receivers on the Trojans were out and could not play.

Yet, that’s exactly the scenario which greeted the Trojans Saturday evening in Tucson. Jordan Addison and Mario Williams were not able to play against the Arizona Wildcats. They are fast, they are skilled, and they make big plays, but the value of those two receivers goes beyond playmaking ability. They block. They understand the offense. They understand Caleb Williams.

Missing one of those two guys is a notable loss. Missing both? That’s a ton of missing production and leadership.

It was no guarantee that USC’s other receivers could fully compensate for their two missing superstars.

Saturday against Arizona, they did. We have the details:

If USC plays in spring, Kyle Ford could reclaim his season

One of the big “what-ifs” connected to a possible spring season for USC

No one should be expecting spring football, given the logistical complications involved. It’s an enormous challenge, in light of the simple reality that asking young men to play two football seasons in one year — without giving athletes significant added protections and benefits at the very least — invites all sorts of problems. Add the fact that college sports is desperately trying to save the 2021 college basketball season and the NCAA Tournament and Final Four which will come along with it. Saving the NCAA Tournament is a huge priority for the NCAA. Wedging in spring football under uncertain conditions could take a back seat to basketball, with schools facing the need to make sure football can be played in the fall of 2021.

We have to be realistic about spring football, even though many of us hope football can still be salvaged.

Yet, if we are to look ahead and consider a world with spring football — and what it would look like — one USC football player’s outlook could become a lot brighter.

Trojans Wire staff writer Andy Patton brought you the news in June that receiver Kyle Ford had suffered a torn ACL. This was going to cost him most, if not all, of his 2020 fall season. Ford was probably going to be part of a four-wide receiver set on passing downs. He was initially envisioned as an important depth piece behind Amon-Ra St. Brown, Tyler Vaughns, and Drake London in the USC receiver corps. 

Of all the valuable pieces on the 2020 USC roster, Ford emerges as a candidate for resurrection and revival if USC plays a spring 2021 schedule. We shouldn’t expect spring football — it is something to hope for without attaching our emotions to it in these complicated times — but if, somehow, the Pac-12 is able to pull it off and provide a plan which is able to work, Kyle Ford could reclaim a 2020 season in the early months of 2021.

It would be something — not just having football in the spring, but having Kyle Ford on the field for USC.

It’s not likely, but that doesn’t mean the possibility should be completely ignored or buried.