Melissa ATH Jackson Ford talks interest in Texas Tech
Texas Tech football camps this past June were a big success by all accounts. The staff was able to evaluate thousands of prospects and made several offers to recruits spanning the 2023-2027 classes.
One up-and-coming athlete who picked up an offer from Tech - his first Power 5 - was 2024 Melissa athlete Jackson Ford.
Listed as a quarterback which is what he played at his previous school, Ford has switched positions and is being recruited as an athlete, most likely tight end but he could also play defensive end.
What you need to know...
... Ford announced his offer from Texas Tech after earning it at camp on June 11th
... He also holds offers from Jacksonville State, UTSA and North Texas
... As a sophomore at Beech HS in Tennessee, Ford was 69/129 passing for 1,251 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also added 14 rushing yards and two rushing scores.
... Ford also runs track where he competes in the 400 meter and 4 x 400 relay. His personal record in the 400 is 57.27 seconds which he ran in the Aubrey Invitational this past March.
Tech coaches: "So I was invited to a football camp that Tech was hosting, I went up there and I performed pretty good. I got to talking with the coaches and they ended up offering me near the end of the camp. The coaches, I absolutely love them. Coach (Joey) McGuire, he's a phenomenal guy and I think he's gonna do great things for the program. Coach (Josh) Cochran, the tight ends coach, he's also a phenomenal guy and I think he's gonna do great things. I have a pretty strong relationship with them and I'm hoping to continue talking to them."
Position fit at the next level: "I moved from Tennessee, so back when I was in Tennessee I played quarterback. I transferred to here to Texas and I switched positions to a defensive end/tight end. I went to the camp as a tight end and they offered me just as an athlete, more likely to play tight end but there's still a chance I could play some defensive end there too, as well."
Reaction to Tech offer: "Oh, I was jaw-dropped. I mean I was full of excitement, honestly that was one of the hardest workouts I've ever done in my life so I was extremely tired, but I wanted to give coach McGuire the biggest hug when he offered me."
Tech camp/visit thoughts: "So I went to the camp, it was a pretty long drive. We drove up in the morning and drove back at night, so I didn't get time to go on a tour or see the campus, but we did drive through the campus a little bit. I thought it was beautiful and I loved everything about it. I'm planning on going back there soon just to go on a visit and take a look at the facilities, the campus, and all the good stuff."
Overall recruitment: "It's going good. Ever since I moved to Texas my recruitment has kinda just blown up, especially when I made that jump from quarterback to defensive end/tight end. I've gone on a bunch of visits and I'm just enjoying the process. Next week I'm going to Florida State which should be fun, I'm really looking forward to that."
Other sports: "I do track as well. I do the 4 x 400 and open 400."
Working on this off-season: "Quicker feet, quicker hands. Getting smarter in the game, just learning different coverages and just different techniques. It's a big change going from quarterback to tight end/defensive end. There's a lot of different techniques I need to learn. Growing up I played lineman so I kinda know a lot about the blocking aspects of tight end. Just trying to get my agility up and all my technique down for defensive end."