Kevin Jairaj – USA TODAY Sports
The Oklahoma Sooners‘ incredible depth at running back took a hit on Wednesday with the announcement that junior running back Keith Ford would be transferring from Norman. While the news is a ding to the OU depth chart to be sure, the move might be best for all parties involved moving forward.
Ford entered the 2014 season with leg-up on the pack in what looked to be a wide open running back situation for the Sooners. He started the first three games of the season and got off to a red-hot start, rushing for 194 yards on 34 carries (averaging 5.7 ypc) and scoring five touchdowns. But in the third game of the season against the Tennessee Volunteers, Ford would suffer an injury that would change the course of his Oklahoma career.
According to reports, Ford broke a bone in his lower leg that cost him the next five games of the season. But after he returned to the field, he never regained the form he had at the beginning of the season or his starting role in the offense. By the time Ford made it back into action, freshman phenom Samaje Perine had taken firm control of the position and wasn’t about to relinquish it. Ford would not record more than nine carries in a game the rest of the season, averaging just 39.6 yards per game and scoring zero touchdowns over the final five games of the year.
Ultimately, Ford finished third on the team with 392 yards rushing on 71 carries and tied for second on the team with his five rushing touchdowns. The talented back never seemed to fully recover from his injury against Tennessee, a claim backed up by Ford himself in his statement announcing his intention to transfer. According to Ford’s parents, the lingering injury had both physical and psychological effects on the young man that impacted his attendance in classes and workouts which led to his indefinite suspension from the football program on March 30.
Looking ahead, Oklahoma figures to add even more talent to their backfield in 2015 with the return of former five-star recruit Joe Mixon after he served a one-year suspension in 2014, which would mean even more competition for Ford to find a role in this offense behind Perine and Alex Ross. At the end of the day, Ford simply felt that there was no longer a place for him in the Oklahoma offense, prompting his decision to continue his career elsewhere.
Now, both sides of this can move forward in a positive fashion. Oklahoma can focus their energies on a young, deep stable of running backs to get back into the thick of the Big 12 title race. Keith Ford can get a fresh start somewhere new and use the year he will have to sit out in 2015 to get 100 percent healthy and showcase his true ability once again in 2016.
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