Luke Ford’s excitement for Arkansas has not diminished
CHICAGO – The commitment of Carterville, Ill., tight end Luke Ford to Arkansas last month was sudden, but the weeks since have confirmed it was the right choice for the three-star tight end.
“First off, all glory to God and I was blessed to get all those offers,” Ford said. “I am still excited and I love being a Hog right now."
Ford’s commitment came during a stretch when he was adding offers at a regular clip and had just started making campus visits. In fact, until he actually arrived in Fayetteville the southern Illinois native had his heart set on an in-state school.
“After the Illinois visit I was pretty dead set on Illinois because I loved Lovie Smith and all the coaches there,” Ford said. “I was pretty sure I was going to go to Illinois after that visit and didn’t want to go anywhere else, but my parents made me.”
The visits to Illinois and Arkansas were back-to-back, and after taking a day to think about it, Ford made the call for the Razorbacks.
“When I went to Arkansas I loved their coaches and their facilities were out of this world,” he said. “I fit in well with the coaches and loved the players there, so I knew it was the right place for me.
“They think I am going to be a Hunter Henry there, so that is a huge compliment because he plays for the San Diego Chargers. Also, Coach (Bret) Bielema has sent the most tight ends to the NFL than any coach in college football and they are usually always at the top with their receiving yards for tight ends.”
In the six weeks since making the commitment, Ford has become an active advocate for Arkansas with other recruits.
“I have been texting tons of other guys. I texted Byron (Hanspard) before he committed and was just telling him how I felt about it and telling him my personal experience.”
Ford is planning to make his next visit to Fayetteville on June 3 for a camp. Before he committed 20 other schools have offered, though, and Arkansas still has nine more months to keep those programs at bay.
“I just tell them I am a Hog and fully committed, but they keep trying. It’s cool just to talk to these coaches because you see them on TV and I’m not disrespectful,” Ford said. “I think I will probably take other (official visits) just to see, but I’m pretty sure Arkansas knows if I take other visits it will just reaffirm my decision.”
Which schools, if any, Ford would officially visit are not determined at this time. His current focus is helping build Arkansas’ 2018 class while also improving his game on the off-season camp scene.