MIKE FORD headed to USF!!!

[E.T.]

Some old thoughts from Buckeyes:

http://www.buckeyeplanet.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-2178.html

[E.T.]

So when Ford runs over an opponent, they would be a "Crash Test Dummy".  8-)

Would love to see the student section dressed up as "dummy's" with opponents shirts on ... not really. I'm just giddy over this !

;D

[Guest BasketBull.]

Oh, Bulls, don't forget to thank Amarri!  I'm sure Amarri had a big part in recruiting Mike.

[Mama_Bull]

If in fact the Herald article is true, then I would optimistically say that we can challenge for the Big East title.

Our defense will continue to be strong and our shortcomings were on the offensive side of the field.  

With Grothe and Ford.........WOW!!!!!

[SANJAY]

I love it when Amarri plays with the band.  And when he convinces athletically freakish cuosins to play at USF.

[mulheap]

I went to Sarasota High (Go Sailors!, sorry Amari), and saw Mike Ford in a couple games his senior year, when I'd go back down there.  He is a beast, he looked like a college sophomore on the field with high schoolers.  Great pickup.  I knew me yelling at him to go to USF from the stands would work!  And what does this mean for Ricky Ponton?  is he as good as gone?

[SANJAY]

I want to see this on Greg's blog.  It worries me that the kid has been out of high school for two years signed a LOI with Alabama and went to Hargrave.  I do not know what the eligibility rules are when Ford will be eligible and if so, ha she met NCAA standards.

[E.T.]

The article explains it all ... will enroll in Jan. and be elgible for 4 years.

[HaulingBull Sucks]

I want to see this on Greg's blog.  It worries me that the kid has been out of high school for two years signed a LOI with Alabama and went to Hargrave.  I do not know what the eligibility rules are when Ford will be eligible and if so, ha she met NCAA standards.

"[highlight][/highlight]He was coveted by the top football programs and verbally committed to Alabama. However, he didn't qualify and spent a year a Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia, where he straightened out [highlight]most[/highlight] of his academics and played on the school's postgraduate team.

Ford was set to join Alabama this winter. But after head coach Mike Shula was fired, he turned in a different direction. He wants to be close to home and near people he can trust. For him, that means playing for the University of South Florida and rooming with his cousin, Bulls wide receiver Amarri Jackson.

Ford has been accepted at USF and plans to enroll for the second semester with a football scholarship, his mother, Dondra Walker, said Tuesday. [highlight]She also said his academics are in order and he has been cleared by the NCAA to play[/highlight]. Ford was not available for comment."

I'll hold off getting excited till he's completed the spring semester and is still eligible to play in the fall.  September is a long ways off.

[mastertate]

It looks like it has been two years since he played in HS?  Does that mean he has 2 years in prep school?  Does that seem odd to anyone else?  What are the chances he makes it grade wise in college?

you can theoretically spend as much time as a you want at a prep school like hargrave or fork union without having it start your eligibility clock because unlike a JUCO, you are not earning any college credit and the football you are playing is not affiliated with the NCAA or NJCAA.  some guys stay for two years because they aren't satisfied with their offers and want to improve their stock, and some stay until they can get a high enough test score to be an NCAA qualifier.

here's a bio of one of UNC's safeties who did this exact same thing. he spent two years at fork union then went on to be a four year starter at UNC.  you can see he was 24 years old as a senior.

http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/taylor_kareen00.html