'05 FL RB Mike Ford (Alabama signee; Hargrave; South Florida signee)

[BuckNutty]

http://www.ohiostate.rivals.com/view...p?pr_key=29050




Mike Ford
Sarasota (FL)
Sarasota
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 200 pounds
40-yard dash: 4.5 seconds

Biography:
Everyone likes football players – guys that just know how to play and make it enjoyable when you watch them. Mike Ford is one of those guys. He never leaves the field. Whether it’s running the ball, defending the pass, or on special teams, Ford is always making plays. He averaged 120 yards a game last season and really went off on opposing defenses at the end of the season. Ford brings a lot of instincts, toughness, and competitiveness to the table. Oh, and speed too. On the track, Ford has been timed at sub 11.0 in the 100m. He’ll continue making plays this season and then someone will be getting a fast, instinctive, and productive back for the next level.

Ford's height is listed at 6'0" with a 40 time of 4.5 by both Rivals and The Insiders but in a Rivals article they claim he is 6'2" and has run a 4.3 40. Academics are a big question mark but Ford's coach hopes by August a lot of those questions will be answered . Ford has been hearing from Ohio State along with schools like LSU, Auburn and Louisville. He ran for 1100 yards as a junior and will be the feature back on his team this fall.

[MililaniBuckeye]

He has legs like mine...cluck cluck.

[Helpinghand]

A player to keep an eye on is Mike Ford. He is from Sarasota and could be a great addition to the Buckeye family. At 6-2 200, he runs a 10.7 100 on the track and a 4.3 40. Plays rb and db. One problem is his grades, which is the reason for no offers. Coaches from tOSU were here to meat with his coach earlier this summer. He lists the florida schools and the Buckeyes as favorites. Could be a sleeper.

Per Susan

[Buckskin86]

HH any more thoughts?

Do you think Mike has a chance to qualify?

[Buckskin86]

Ford heads list of top picks

Sarasota's running back leads pack of 21 players who are sure to attract college scouts

BY ALAN DELL CORRESPONDENT

There is little doubt that this year's junior class is comprised of a bumper crop of football players who will have college scouts drooling next season. However, before we push the clock ahead, it's time to give this year's senior class its due.

The Herald-Tribune's Preseason Super Seniors has enough talent to attract the attention of college scouts throughout the country. Though there may not be as many "sure-shot" Division I-A prospects as in previous years, some of the talent is of very high quality.

Leading the pack is Sarasota High running back Mike Ford, a two-time 1,000-yard rusher, who is on every major college's radar screen. Behind what figures to be one of the area's best offensive lines, Ford should thrive as he shoots for the 3,000-yard plus career rushing mark.

Ford is one of five area players who appear certain to be signing high-level D-I scholarships next February. The other "Blue Chippers" are Venice nose guard Aaron Stahl, Lakewood Ranch offensive lineman Tyler Rice, Riverview running back C.J. Hamilton and Booker's Steve Fougerousse, a punishing fullback, who is worth the price of admission just to watch him barrel over defenders.

MIKE FORD, Sarasota

RB, 6-foot-2, 205 pounds

The area's top-rated senior rushed for 1,000-plus yards as a sophomore at Riverview High and again last year with the Sailors. Ford has it all: size, speed, quickness, natural instincts and good field vision. He runs a 4.4-second 40-yard dash and is being courted by all the major programs in the country. Among area returnees, he leads in yards per carry, averaging 6.9 per attempt. He is a perfect fit for Sailors, who like to feature the tailback in their I formation and Ford is athletic enough to catch passes passes out of the backfield. Scored 84 points with 14 TDs last season.

http://www.newscoast.com/apps/pbcs.d...408270469/1006

[Buckskin86]

Mike has been putting up some big numbers!!

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pb...409250394/1006

Before Sarasota High's football game Friday night against Cypress Lake, Sailor running back Mike Ford and his offensive linemen discussed breaking the record.

The single-game school rushing record of 359 yards, held by Herb Haygood.

Ford and his mates didn't accomplish their goal. But who wouldn't gleefully take 251 yards and four touchdowns?

Coming off his 279-yard, two-touchdown performance against Riverview, Ford carried the load again in leading the Sailors to a 46-14 win over the Panthers at Cleland Stadium at Ihrig Field.

Ford scored on runs of 23, 32, 36 and 8 yards. Fellow back Million Murray added a 1-yard TD, quarterback Steve Karwatt threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Chad O'Connor and defensive back Austin Guidry returned an interception 53 yards for another score.

This was a potentially dangerous sandwich game for the 2-1 Sailors, a week after their victory over Riverview and a week before a matchup with Venice High.

But Ford made sure the Sailors wouldn't suffer a letdown. By his third carry of the game, he had rushed for 74 yards and his two TDs had the Sailors in front 12-0 with two botched PATs.

"He's phenomenal,'' said Sailor coach Bob Perkins, "some of the things he's shown in the last couple of weeks. It's Mike getting comfortable in the tailback position, standing up. Each practice he's developing into a great I-back.''

Perhaps Ford's greatest run was on his 8-yard score, when he headed left, into a wave of Panther tacklers, stayed on his feet, reversed right and ran uncontested into the end zone.

The score put the Sailors up 39-14 late in the third, but the shot at Haygood's record had passed. In time, Ford was removed from the game.