2023 Four-Star LB Troy Ford Jr. ‘Can’t Wait’ to Make the Trip to Morgantown

When Troy Ford Jr. broke his hand this fall, he could’ve decided to sit out and get healthy for his senior season. Instead, he gritted through the pain and helped lead Calvary Day School to the quarterfinals of the GHSA Class-A Private state playoffs.

And if he commits to West Virginia down the line, the Mountaineers will get the same level of never quit effort, too.

Ford, a 2023 four-star linebacker from Calvary Day in Savannah, Georgia, picked up an offer from WVU after tight ends/inside receivers coach Travis Trickett visited the school Monday, adding the Mountaineers to an offer sheet that already includes Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Missouri, Notre Dame, South Carolina, Tennessee, UCF and Virginia Tech.

#AGTG Extremely honored & blessed to say I have received an offer from West Virginia University!!💙💛 #TrustTheClimb @CoachTTrickett @NealBrown_WVU @WVUfootball @CoachKoonz @Cavalier_Sports @rivalskeenan @CMAnderson247 @AndyGold24 @TheBigGuyWJCL @DennisKnightSMN @EddieWillingha2 pic.twitter.com/GEMMkJUHyS

— Troy Ford, Jr. (@TroyFordJr2) November 29, 2021

After first hearing from WVU back in September, picking up some follows on social media after Sept. 1, Ford has texted back and forth with the coaching staff pretty much every week. And Trickett has been the leading voice in trying to lure Ford to Morgantown.

Trickett visited Calvary Day on Monday, meeting with head coach Mark Stroud and after a nice conversation, Ford’s phone rang. And Stroud’s name popped up.

“[Trickett] came up yesterday, and I wasn’t able to talk to him or anything, but he came and talked to my coach and said he heard great things,” Ford told WV Sports Now. “My coach called me and told me that they offered me.”

The offer from WVU was special for Ford, as he’s spent his childhood watching the Mountaineers win big games on television, so he was particularly excited to finally pick up that offer from the Mountaineers.

“I felt amazing,” Ford said. “I’ve been knowing about that school for a very long time, been trying to work for that offer. They’re an amazing school, and I can’t wait to make it up there.”

While Ford is from Georgia, he’s already well aware of the electric game-day atmosphere at Milan Puskar Stadium on Saturdays, and he said he’s already keen on WVU from an academic perspective — a factor in his recruiting process that is very important to him.

However, he’s still looking forward to making a trip up to Morgantown — either this January, and if not, for an unofficial visit over the summer — to get an in-person read on the program.

“Just [to see] how their coaches are,” Ford said. “I just want to see the culture there and if that’s somewhere I could see myself going — if I could fit in up there. The main thing I really like is looking at the culture of the team, the coaches and the relationship between them.”

Photo courtesy of Troy Ford Jr.

As Ford’s recruiting process has worn on, not only has his knowledge of the teams recruiting him increased but he’s grown more relaxed in the process. After all, he said, he’s realized it’s a blessing to have any offers at all.

And Ford’s process has only picked up this fall, as he’s made visits to South Carolina, Georgia, Auburn, Notre Dame and UCF — with multiple visits to Clemson and South Carolina for games. With the majority of the southeast powerhouses already on his trail, Ford has experienced it all.

Despite not having visited WVU, with the Mountaineers much further away than any of the schools he’s already visited, WVU has already managed to make an impact on Ford’s process, checking in as a school to consider already.

“[WVU] definitely stands out to me,” Ford said. “I plan to make my top couple of schools, probably a Top 10, pretty soon — in the next couple of months. They’ll definitely be on there.”

While Ford is still figuring out exactly when he’d like to formally make his commitment, likely before his senior season begins or soon after, he won’t be short of options.

247Sports rates Ford as the 426th-ranked recruit in the class of 2023, checking in as the 35th-ranked linebacker and 41st-ranked recruit from Georgia. Rivals hasn’t rated him, but he does have a 5.5 Rivals Rating.

And after a strong junior season, playing with a broken hand, Ford’s stock should only continue to rise. Ford recorded 51 tackles (33 solo), 13 tackles for loss, four sacks (on 13 quarterback hurries), defended four passes and recovered two fumbles.

Told you it would be a show 🍿 we gave it all we had, tough loss but we’re not done yet. Stay tuned 👀 https://t.co/sWDRVhvKii @Cavalier_Sports pic.twitter.com/S0aPmKm10a

— Troy Ford, Jr. (@TroyFordJr2) November 29, 2021

Ford will likely be an inside linebacker in college, but he points to his offensive and defensive versatility as a key factor in helping Calvary Day — and his future collegiate team.

As a junior, Ford still has his senior season ahead of him, but he’ll provide a strong boost to whichever school he eventually commits to. Luckily for WVU, it appears he’s already interested in the Mountaineers.