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USC Football: Friend-Turned-Pac-12 Foe Transfers Back To Trojans

Sometimes, your first love is the one you end up with...

Jason Fray

Former UCLA WR Kyle Ford
Former UCLA WR Kyle Ford / Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

There's always something nice about going back home.

WR Kyle Ford had spent the bulk of his collegiate career at USC before transferring to UCLA last year. Ford was hoping he'd be able to showcase his skills a bit more with less competition ahead of him at the WR spot.

However, former UCLA head coach Chip Kelly utilized a very run-heavy scheme and thus didn't utilize Ford nearly as much as he probably should have. Ford finished last season with only 22 catches for 256 yards and 1 TD.

With one more year of eligibility left, the former big-time high school prospect decided to re-enter the portal. Ultimately, USC came calling -- and the rest was history.

Ford committed to USC on Tuesday afternoon amidst interest from a host of other programs. In what figures to be his last season in college, Ford's journey back to USC has truly come full circle.

As he told Hayes Fawcett of on3.com, Ford offered the following statement: "My fault, I was trippin."

Now, those who support the Cardinal and Gold probably find this statement rather amusing. Ford went to the crosstown rival for one year before bouncing back to the place that represented his first love.

On the other hand, UCLA fans probably won't have any love lost for the sixth-year receiver.

While USC's receivers room is deep and talented, Ford does have the leg-up when it comes to experience. He's also a very strong athlete. There's a chance Ford could line up at several spots on the field to further take advantage of his skill set.

Ford has the strength to bother smaller defensive backs. Duly, he's quick enough to be a real problem for linebackers and bigger safeties. If there's one coach who can figure out how to best utilize his physical traits on the offensive side of the ball, it's Lincoln Riley.

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Jason Fray
JASON FRAY

Jason Fray is a proud native of Los Angeles. After graduating from UCLA in 2011, he's written for a number of publications -- including Bleacher Report, FOX Sports, Saturday Down South, and New Arena. In his downtime, he enjoys writing scripts, going to shows, weekly pub trivia with the boys, trying the best hole-in-the-wall food spots around town, and traveling (22 countries & counting). 

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