Notre Dame added a huge piece to its 2022 class today when blue-chip defensive end Tyson Ford announced for the Irish. The 6’5″, 245-pound Missourian became the fifth player and the first defensive lineman in the class. Ford also makes the 2022 class the fourth straight with a commitment from the greater St. Louis area, thanks to the Irish pulling Kyren Williams in 2019, Jordan Johnson in 2020, and Gabriel Rubio in 2021. Whether this is a coincidence or a trend we’ll have to see, but it’s definitely worth noting; an upswing in talent in St. Louis’s well-established Catholic school scene could be great news for Notre Dame.

Ford had reportedly been trending hard to Oklahoma for a couple of weeks, despite consistent involvement and hard work by Mike Elston. We don’t know for sure, but just based on the timing it sure seems like new defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman worked some magic here to turn things around. That’s not a dig at Elston by any means; it was likely the tag team that pulled it off. Just saying… Also, anytime there’s a dynamic like this right before a commitment, it’s good to remember that the recruitment of Ford will likely continue through signing day. Today, though, Notre Dame got a big win on the recruiting trail, and that’s worth celebrating.

 

Recruiting Service Rankings

247Sports Composite — 4 star (.9510 rating), #117 overall, #9 WDE, #3 in MO

247Sports — 4 star (91 rating), #181 overall, #10 WDE, #5 in MO

Rivals — 4 star (5.9 rating), #64 overall, #5 SDE, #3 in MO

ESPN — 4 star (83 rating), #148 overall, #22 DE, #3 in MO

Irish Sports Daily — 4 star (93 rating)

Cohort

In addition to Notre Dame and Oklahoma, Ford holds offers from Arizona State, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Texas, Texas A&M, and Washington, among others.

Highlights

You can see why there are some top programs chasing after Ford. He shows impressive athleticism for his position – his burst off the line is really good and when he has to cover some ground he eats it up pretty easily. What I really love here though is his ability in tight spaces; his feet and his hands are quick as hell and he uses them to great effect, sliding past linemen and shuffling through traffic very effectively. He already has some solid pass rush moves too. He shows a good swim move, a couple of effective spins, some bull rushes, and a brutal push-pull on the last play of the reel. The push-pull and bull rushes highlight the other part of his game that I really like, which is violent power. This kid is strong, he’s not shy about using his strength, and he’s not shy about letting you know he used it. I love that attitude along the line.

On the flip side, I think he plays too upright at times and relies on that power to just overwhelm kids. That’s not too concerning though given that he shows good bend often enough here, so I think it’s just a consistency thing more than a physical limitation. He doesn’t always wrap up either, which again is okay when you can just shove the ball carrier into next week but not so much when you can’t. Again, a pretty minor thing to work on from a technical standpoint. The fun stuff is there for sure.

Impact

Without any senior film yet it’s a little hard to project, but I could see Ford being on the Isaiah Foskey plan – given a chance in a handful of key spots as a freshman and entering the rotation as a sophomore. I think he’ll be physically ready for college ball from the beginning, so his entry to the rotation will depend on how quickly he can get his technique and consistency down. He has all the athletic tools of an eventual starter, and a very good one at that. It’ll be a fun career to track.

Welcome to the Irish family, Tyson!