Oklahoma's Top 20 recruiting what-ifs, No. 13: Keith Ford

Ford came to OU as a 5-star running back in 2013, but the Sooner backfield was crowded, and he found more success at Texas A&M

John E. Hoover | Jan 22, 2021

Keith Ford’s future was bright, but his time as a Sooner was short.

In a backfield loaded with three future Cincinnati Bengals, facing team discipline, and failing to connect with his position coach, he said, Ford spent just two seasons at Oklahoma before transferring to Texas A&M.

Ford was a 5-star prospect out of Cypress, TX, a quick, powerful runner who rushed for 4,079 yards and 46 touchdowns in high school.

The 5-foot-11, 200-pound Ford was an Under Armour All-American, a consensus top-five running back in the 2013 class and chose OU over offers from Wisconsin, Utah, UCLA, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Nebraska, Michigan, Florida State, Baylor and Alabama.

As a freshman, he sat behind Brennan Clay, Damien Williams and Roy Finch, but still rushed for 134 yards. Then as a sophomore, Ford won the starting job in training camp, but suffered a broken leg in Week 3 and missed the next five games as Samaje Perine took over and became a household name.

Ford came back and finished the season third on the team with 392 rushing yards, added 140 receiving yards and scored six touchdowns.

His best game as a Sooner — nine carries for 91 yards, three catches for 34 after Perine got hurt in the 2014 season finale against Oklahoma State — was his swan song in Norman. OU was routed by Clemson in the Russell Athletic Bowl, Ford ran just four times for eight yards, and his OU career was over.

Bob Stoops announced the following spring that Ford had been suspended for academic and team rules violations, and his name was removed from the roster. Nine days later, Ford told 247 Sports he couldn't connect with his position coach at OU (then Jay Boulware) and was transferring to Texas A&M. As an Aggie, Ford had three 100-yard games, rushed for 1,217 yards and 18 touchdowns over two seasons and eventually landed in the NFL as an undrafted free agent.

In 2018, Ford played with the Buffalo Bills, and in 2019 he spent time in camp with Indianapolis and Green Bay. He played last season in the XFL.

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This series

National Signing Day is around the corner, so SI Sooners is examining Oklahoma’s biggest recruiting what-ifs of the last 20 years.

NOTE: We've changed the theme from "regrets" to "what-ifs" because it's hard for many to get past the negative connotation of regret. Also, "what-if" is a more accurate depiction of what we're trying to convey.

The series isn't intended to put anyone in a bad light. It's not about the coaching staff regretting that they signed these guys, or the players regretting they came to Oklahoma.

This is about players who arrived (or almost arrived) at Oklahoma but then, for whatever reason, left well before they reached their potential.

This is what college football recruiting is all about: the risk-reward that comes with not knowing a prospect's potential. For every Adrian Peterson, there's a Rhett Bomar. For every Tommie Harris, there's a Moe Dampeer.

The time period is since 2000, when online recruiting services and the current "star" system became prominent.

The rankings were compiled by SI Sooners publisher John Hoover, Sports Animal host Al Eschbach, KREF host James Hale and Sooner Spectator publisher Jay Upchurch.

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How Hoover voted:

I ranked Keith Ford No. 16 in my top 20. Ford hit the hole at top speed, broke arm tackles with his power and had just enough shake to keep defenders on their heels. He was one of four 5-star running backs from Texas between 2008-2013 who came in with much fanfare and seemed destined for greatness in Norman, but ended up finding success elsewhere.

No. 13 on my list was 2012 wide receiver Courtney Gardner. Like the Sooners' run of running backs, Gardner was one of a string of blue chip wide receiver prospects between 2008-2014 that just didn't work out at OU. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Gardner hailed from Reno, NV, played two seasons at Sierra College in Rocklin, CA (he caught 61 passes for 1,099 yards and scored 13 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2011), and became a junior college All-American. He chose OU over LSU but could never get academically eligible, however, and declared for the 2013 NFL Draft. Gardner went undrafted and kicked around with several NFL teams in tryouts and training camps.

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Top 20 Oklahoma Recruiting What-Ifs

(since 2000)

Published Jan 22, 2021

JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.