Longhorns Looking to 'Establish' Legacy, Says LB Jaylan Ford

Senior Texas Longhorns linebacker Jaylan Ford speaks on approaching the season and home opener against Rice.

Approaching his fourth year as a linebacker for the Texas Longhorns and third year under coach Steve Sarkisian, Jaylan Ford is already starting to witness a change in the Texas football program - for one, a legacy is beginning to become established.

"We're just following the steps and continuing to make this team ours, and establish what our team is going to be this year and moving forward," Ford said. "So I'm really excited, it's year three, everybody's flying around ... more confident."

Last season, Ford made a personal decision to continue to play for the Longhorns for an additional year, and that choice is fueling him for the home opener against Rice.

"Honestly, it gave everything a little extra juice, just not taking anything for granted this year," Ford said. "From when we started workouts to the fall camp, just taking everything in and maximizing the most out of everything."

© Kevin Jairaj, USA TODAY

Ford stands out in the locker room to his teammates. As an uprising senior, he is now taking on a leadership role with the underclassman given his experience on the field.

"I'd say the best thing, [is earning] the respect of my teammates in the locker room," Ford said. "And honestly, as a football player, that's probably , the biggest thing you could ask for is just having the respect to your teammates because that just shows that you know what you've done is paid off and what you're doing is right. And I think [I'll] just keep pushing myself to be better for those guys."

The Longhorns are predicted to be Big 12 conference champions for the first time since 2009, but Ford is not letting the outside buzz get to his head.

"We do a good job on the team, you know, blocking out outside noise and not letting too much hype get to our heads," Ford said. "But I'm really I'm really glad that everybody's excited for the season. We've been working really hard. So it's finally that time for us to go out."