Jaylan Ford could be a big part of the 2022 Texas Longhorns defense
Jaylan Ford spent most of the 2021 season in a backup role behind DeMarvion Overshown and Luke Brockermeyer. He stepped into the starting lineup for the final two games and recorded 11 tackles with 3.0 of them for loss. His late-season performances boosted him to the team lead in TFL with 6.0, but they followed a season filled with meager showings save for his 12-tackle performance against Oklahoma State.
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There were some bright spots during Ford’s second year on campus, including the double-digit tackle performance against the Cowboys. He garnered a defensive grade of 79.7 from PFF College in 60 snaps versus OSU, a strong mark for a player whose previous highest 2021 snap count was 21. But those bright spots were not plentiful, as there were some games Ford simply was not effective like when he received a paltry grade of 48.3 in the loss to the Mountaineers across 74 snaps.
Now in his third year on Texas’ campus, opportunity exists for Ford maybe more so than any other off-ball linebacker. With Brockermeyer still recovering from his knee injury and Overshown a candidate to play some non-middle linebacker roles, Ford could find himself as a mainstay in the 2022 defense as opposed to an understudy.
A 6-foot-2, 234-pound linebacker from Frisco (Texas) Lone Star, Ford was a late flip from the Utah Utes during the 2020 recruiting cycle. Ford played in all 10 games during his first season in Austin, even receiving a start in the Longhorns’ 2020 Alamo Bowl win over the Colorado Buffaloes.
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In recent weeks during Longhorn summer workouts, Ford has drawn praise behind the scenes for his work-ethic and football ability.
The insider information coincides with much of his original evaluation out of high school.
Ford is more of a true linebacker prospect than Texas has often landed from the high school game. His training and skills revolve around playing in the box, reading flow, beating blocks, and finishing plays. He generates a lot of power easily over short distances and is good at side stepping blockers and bringing down ball carriers.
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Ford along with Devin Richardson, David Gbenda, former walk-on Jett Bush, incoming freshman Trevell Johnson, and transfer Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey all are competing for snaps at the middle linebacker spot.
Compared to others that group, and even Overshown and Brockermeyer, Ford could be the best pure linebacking prospect on the roster. However, playing defense in modern college football requires more from linebackers than just thumping between the tackles. That’s rarely been a question for Ford, the uncertainty lies with how he plays in space.
If he can answer that uncertainty, Ford could find himself in the middle of the Texas defense during the 2022 season as an answer to one of the unit’s leading questions.
