DE/OLB KJ Ford commits to the Florida Gators over Ohio State

The Florida Gators picked up their 17th commitment for the Class of 2026 on Friday afternoon from one of the top out of state prospects in the country.

Defensive end KJ Ford (6-3, 245, Duncanville, TX. High) committed to the Florida Gators over Ohio State and Texas A&M.

Ford took an official visit to Gainesville in June, and it was after that trip that the Gators shot up in his recruitment.

The Texas native was impressed by the culture in Gainesville during that visit and he believes the Gators have a lot of good players on the roster.

“The brotherhood there. Seeing all the defensive ends get out there, just see how they play freshmen, they have a lot of freshmen All Americans I think this year and just see how they play as a team. I think I could fit their scheme wise,” Ford said on why he likes Florida. “The history of the program. They have good history there.”

When Ford gets to Gainesville the coaching staff plans to play him at the Jack position as an outside linebacker and he likes how the staff uses that position.

“I like how they play the Jack position,” Ford added.

With the addition of Ford, the Gators now have two rush ends as Ford joins Ja’Reylan McCoy at the position.

Andrew Spivey
Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.