Mike Gundy: Trace Ford “Is a Full Go”

STILLWATER – Fall camp is finally here for Oklahoma State, which means the start of the 2022 season is less than a month away. The Cowboys enter this year with somewhat of a new look defense personnel-wise as there will be several new starters.

While I think the defense will still be good, there’s definitely some questions entering this year. However, one position I have almost no questions for is the defensive line. The only question I have is how Greg Richmond and new defensive coordinator Derek Mason can create a package which features every player, especially with Trace Ford back and healthy.

"Trace is a full go,” said head coach Mike Gundy ahead of Wednesday’s practice. “Now, we’ll protect him in practice. We’ll let him go through individual [drills] for three or four days and then the next two or three or four days we’ll put him in some individual contact stuff. Then when we get a couple weeks out from the first game, we’ll throw him in the team concepts.”

Ford, who’s entering his redshirt junior season with the Cowboys, is looking to get back out on the field for the first time in more than a year. He sustained a torn ACL in the final game of the regular season against Baylor in the 2020 season, followed by tearing his other ACL prior to the start of the 2021 season.

"Guys that have had an injury, a significant injury or multiple ones, we need to bring them back slow. My responsibility is to know who the individual is and say, ‘How do we bring him along in August and what will he do on game day?’ 

"So, when you talk about Trace Ford, Brendon Evers, the guys that have had repairs, in my opinion as we bring him along — particularly Trace — keep him healthy, keep him fresh, get him back into it, bring him along mentally, because when you get injured, it becomes a mental issue. That’s just normal protocol. I’m going to guess when we snap it on game day he’s going to play hard.”

Ford’s had two very solid seasons to start his career in Stillwater. He received votes for Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2019 as he finished with 29 total tackles, including four tackles for loss, three sacks, five pass break ups, nine quarterback hurries, which ranked as the second-highest single-season total in program history, and one interception and forced fumble apiece.

He played in all 13 games in 2019 and was the only true freshman to start a game that season.

Fast forward to 2020 and he was just as good as recorded 22 total tackles, 4.5 sacks, four pass break ups, four QB hurries and two forced fumbles.

“[Trace Ford] looks good,” Brock Martin said at Big 12 Media Days in July. “Metobolics [summer workouts], he looks great. He’s finally got his step back. I always talked about how quick his first step was and now I saw it again for the first time in a really long time. I’m really excited for him.”

Circling back to my only question about the defensive line, with how explosive and productive each of those guys are, how can Greg Richmond and Derek Mason create a package that features both Collin Oliver and Trace Ford lining up? Both being from Edmond (OK) Santa Fe, Oliver was tabbed the unanimous Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year, as well as a Freshman All-American, following recorded a team-high, and OSU freshman record, 11.5 sacks.

That LEO duo is set to be two of the top defensive ends in the country, but good luck to quarterbacks and running backs who decide to go to the other side of the line and face Brock Martin, Tyler Lacy and Nathan Latu.