Class of 2009: RB Michael Ford

by Richard Pittman on Aug 18, 2009 12:00 PM CDT in Football Comment 6 comments

Our collection of posts on the Class of 2009 is coming to a close pretty soon. Leesville running back Michael Ford is the penultimate prospect we will be examining. He is the next headliner on the list. Ford was a 5-star running back on Scout, and a 4-star on Rivals. He's an all-around back, able to run with power and with speed.

Michael Ford is an extremely hard worker. He comes to college with a workout regimen that is well ahead of his peers, and it shows. He comes to school body-ready to contribute immediately. His high school workout regimen is something of legend. His highlight videos have gotten him attention since he was a sophomore.

Ford came out of Louisiana in a year with a fair number of very well regarded running backs in or near the area. LSU turned Eddie Lacy away, declining to seriously recruit him for reasons that are still somewhat murky. Consensus 5-star running Christine Michael reportedly desperately wanted to come to LSU, but Les Miles did not show interest. LSU wanted Michael Ford and Trent Richardson, who ended up signing with Bama.

Running back is a strange position, because it seems like the ideal height for a running back is about 5'9". The low center of gravity seems to allow for quicker cutting and the delivery of compact power. Some of the best running backs ever have been small: Emmitt Smith and Barry Sanders. Michael Ford is a little bit bigger than those guys, or at least he's listed a little bigger at 5'10" and 207#. He is probably a little smaller than that.

Now that Fall Practice has started, the word is that the coaches think the world of Michael Ford. The words "Herschel" and "Bo" have been thrown around. While that is certainly premature, and probably is an unreasonable expectation, it says a lot that Michael Ford is expected to contribute immediate in a backfield that includes some very good experienced backs, led by Charles Scott but also including Keiland Williams, Richard Murphy, Trindon Holliday, and Stevan Ridley, all of whom have been significant contributors in the past.

Michael Ford will not overtake Charles Scott in the rotation, but it wouldn't shock me if he overtakes everyone else. His incredible conditioning (for a freshman), his intelligence, and his outright athleticism make him a good bet to contribute early, even at a position where there is plenty of depth.

YouTube clips after the jump.

This is a highlight reel from a post-season all-star game in Hawaii, and contains all of his touches in the game. It's pretty impressive.

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Comments

You really think we won't redshirt him?

I think it would really be a waste, even if he’s a slight improvement over Keiland Williams or Murphy, to play him a little bit and waste his redshirt. We have 3 very good running backs, I would say redshirt him, and then next year both him and Murphy can split time.

This just popped into my head, and I don’t think coaches would do this, but let’s say that Ford does play a lot. Let’s say he has a great freshman season. If that happened, Seastrunk or some of the other top RB’s from this class would not want to come. I have no idea if coaches would hide their underclassmen for this reason, but it was just an idea.

by Ianoka on Aug 18, 2009 1:35 PM CDT reply actions

Initially, I was in favor of playing him immediately,

but after reading your argument, I have to agree with the redshirt. However, if Scott should (God forbid) go down with an injury, something that does happen to bruising, oft-used backs, I might have to take that redshirt off.

by artiger on Aug 18, 2009 2:18 PM CDT up reply actions

Running backs can contribute immediately..

it’s pretty unusual for a running back who is really good to redshirt. Freshmen tend to be less far behind at that position than at any other position. If a running back is really good, you will know it pretty quickly. And then you want to get all you can out of him before he goes pro.

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by Richard Pittman on Aug 18, 2009 7:53 PM CDT up reply actions

Agree

RB’s have such a short shelf life that they need to get what they can while they can. A great RB is almost a lock to leave after the 3 year minimum these days. So the question is do you want Ford to leave after is junior year like McFadden or after his RS sophomore year like Moreno? Ask UGA fans how they feel about the decision to Redshirt Moreno.

by LSU Jonno on Aug 19, 2009 9:06 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions

Disagree

I don’t see Ford leaving after 2 playing seasons as a RS Sophmore. Plus, Miles does very well with keeping guys around and not leaving early. Ford could be good, but we have had so many 4 and 5 star RB’s not pan out. When was the last time we had a RB that was soo good he left early?

by Bob Barker on Aug 19, 2009 10:25 AM CDT up reply actions

Big difference

Moreno didn’t have an All-SEC back in front of him though, which makes his decision much worse. We have two backs who could probably be All-SEC and one who’s pretty dang good, along with the fastest man in college football. We have plenty of depth this season, but all of the above are seniors except for Murphy.

by Ianoka on Aug 19, 2009 6:28 PM CDT up reply actions