Ford out to grow offer list

For Dalton Ford, this summer is about adding scholarship offers. There's no glassing over that fact. His upcoming visits for won't be leisurely campus tours. Instead, they'll be about making an impression.

Ford, a 295-pound offensive tackle at Missouri's Webb City High School, plans to showcase himself for plenty of college coaches this summer and will start with the local programs. It's not that he's unhappy with the three offers he currently holds - invitations from Illinois, Syracuse and Central Arkansas -- it's just that he doesn't intend to leave anything on the table.

And so he has work to do.

"I'm planning to go to Missouri's camp, Arkansas' camp and Kansas State's," Ford said. "That's about it for right now, though."

Ford will attend Missouri's camp on June 8, Arkansas' on June 12 and K-State's on June 14. But the recruiting development that has him most excited for the time being has nothing to do with upcoming travel. Instead, it concerns a Pac 12 school making the trip from the Northwest to see him.

"I'm stoked about everything with Oregon," Ford said. "Coach (Scott) Frost is supposed to come out here and see me soon. I've been talking to Oregon for a little more than a month. Coach (Joe) Bernardi messaged me on Twitter and introduced himself. I was just like, 'Wow, Oregon. That's big.' From there, we just started talking. Every two or three days, I get messages from him about what's going on in his world and all that. He asks about me and stuff like that."

Phone conversations between Ford and Oregon coaches have also taken place. And while no offer is on the table as of now, things seem to be trending in that direction.

"They say they have a legitimate interest in me. He says they aren't messing around. Coach Frost is supposed to be coming out Thursday, Friday or Monday."

Ford says he intends to make a verbal commitment to the school of his choice sometime in July in an effort to clear his mind before the start of his senior season at Webb City.