Former Notre Dame defensive lineman Tyson Ford to enter transfer portal
Notre Dame placed defensive lineman Tyson Ford on a medical scholarship over the summer, thus ending his playing career at Notre Dame. But the top-100 player from the class of 2022 is not finished at the college level for good.
Ford announced on social media Tuesday afternoon he’s entering the NCAA transfer portal with three years of eligiblity remaining.
“To my teammates, coaches and everyone who has supported me until this point, I want to express my gratitude for welcoming me and all of my family into this great program,” Ford said in his social media statement. “As a child, I never imagined God would bless me in this way. My journey is far from over. I will be entering the transfer portal after graduating in May, and I will enter with 3 years of eligibility remaining.
“Thank you God for the opportunity of a lifetime and even more in the future.”
Ford was the No. 98 player and No. 13 defensive lineman in the 2022 class according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He came out of Saint Louis John Burroughs School as the No. 2 player in the state of Missouri. He made his collegiate debut with one snap in Notre Dame’s blowout of Boston College in Notre Dame’s home finale in 2022 per Pro Football Focus.
As a redshirt freshman in 2023, Ford only made a pair of appearances. He played half a dozen snaps against Tennessee State on Sept. 2 in the only game Notre Dame has played against an FCS opponent in program history. He had an assisted tackle in a 56-3 win for the Irish. Ford also saw the field for five snaps against Wake Forest on Nov. 18 and two snaps against Stanford in the regular-season finale.
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Ford spent spring ball working as a defensive tackle for Notre Dame defensive line coach Al Washington, who said the challenge for Ford back then was biding his time, learning from the veterans on the roster and being ready to play once opportunities to rise up the depth chart presented themselves.
“I think for all of these guys, I think the challenge is going to be the experience,” Washington said in March. “We got a lot of older guys with a lot of reps, and they’re still here. That’s the reality of it. Rylie [Mills], Howard [Cross III], [Gabriel] Rubio, we just got a lot of older guys. I think that’s tough for any young player, to be honest with you. If I was in his shoes, man…
“But you just got to control what you can, and you have to continue to work your best and I credit Tyson for doing that. And he’ll be out there flying around this spring. I have a very high opinion of Tyson. Great kid. I think for him this spring is a great opportunity to continue to work. We all know the game’s unpredictable and you just got to continue to put his foot in the ground.”
It became common knowledge in the summer Ford would have to do those things somewhere other than Notre Dame, if at all being that it was a medical scholarship that initiated his dismissal from the team. Tuesday, though, was Ford’s admission he wants to give it a shot at a new destination.
