According to Eric Sondheimer of the LA Times, CB Raymond Ford is headed to Pullman. Some of you may remember Ford from our Signing Day Extravaganza and from our Pre-Signing Day Podcast. After apparently failing to qualify academically, he'll instead go with his second choice of WSU. First, Cal is an excellent academic school, so let's not make Ford out to be some academic risk. Second, I don't care that we weren't his first choice. He's a good player at a position of extreme need for the Cougs, and expect him to be an important part of Mike Breske's defense going forward. I'm certainly not suggesting he'll start from Day 1 or anything, and adjusting to a completely new team/surrounding is going to be difficult. However, considering we were in such dire straights that we brought Brandon Bagley on board, I'd expect Ford to make an impact if for no other reason than we simply have no one else.
The second video is hilarious because I picture the person editing the video with the yellow triangle above his head doing so with Benny Hill music playing in the background. The first video is a bit old and tough to watch. His Hudl page offers a better look. I watched video on Ford in January, but I can't seem to find that tape anywhere. I stopped evaluating him because I was pretty sure he was Nebraska-bound before he eventually wound up at Cal. Recruiting!
Ford is a smaller than you'd like (5'9, 165), but he has long arms and pretty good leaping ability. I'd like to see him add some weight, but I don't want him to sacrifice any of his quickness. He's extremely fluid in his hips, and is above average in his backpedal. He's a good tackler for a corner, but his coverage instincts are what set him apart. He'll wind up on an island alone with a receiver a lot, and he'll be able to hold his own. I'm not sure he'll ever be able to help in run support, but not many corners can do that well.
Here's what California Golden Blogs had to say about him on Signing Day:
"Raymond Ford was originally a UCLA commit before Rick Neuheisel got the axe, then started looking around when Ishmael Adams committed to the Bruins.
Ford is an interesting prospect who definitely has a good list of legit offers from other schools like Nebraska, Washington State, Utah, Colorado and the Arizonas. He's on the shorter side at 5'11", 174 pounds, but has long arms that should help him try and drape receivers in man coverage. Looking forward to see him down the line."
It's also worth noting that Ford was a high school teammate of LB Kache Palacio. Overall, I'm really happy with this addition. Not only is Ford a good player, but Bagley was the only CB we brought in this class. Bagley is really, really bad has a wonderful personality and makes a mean grilled cheese, but he's not even listed on the roster anymore. Ford adds depth to a positional group which desperately needs it, and if we're being honest, probably jumps ahead of guys like Spencer Waseem and Brandon Golden.