Audio Story | Tyson Ford Commits To Notre Dame
Barely a week into his tenure as Notre Dame defensive coordinator, Marcus Freeman is on the board with a recruiting victory.
Tyson Ford had been going back and forth between Notre Dame and Oklahoma, but the 2022 St. Louis defensive end just announced his commitment to the Irish.
“I really like the coaches, everything they have to offer,” Ford told Irish Sports Daily just prior to his announcement. “They're winning coaches and they have a winning culture there. That's what I want to be surrounded by. And then the academic part, that's an opportunity that not a lot of people get, especially for a full scholarship.
“So that's really intriguing to me about the school.”
Notre Dame offered the 6-foot-5, 250-pounder last April and the Irish were always among his favorite schools, but seemed to be losing traction until Freeman’s hiring earlier this month.
“Coach Freeman, he's a good guy,” Ford said. “He just got there, but he's really trying to make a change in the culture. That's what he wants to do, get the school over that Playoff hump that they'd been dealing with the past two or three years. And I really think he's the guy to do it.
“He's a real calm guy, but he keeps it real with all of his players and that's what I like about him. He's not a sugarcoater. He's going to give it to you straight up and he's going to make sure he gets the best out of you that he can.”
In addition to Oklahoma, the John Burroughs School standout chose Notre Dame over offers from schools like Georgia, Missouri, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Texas and Texas A&M among others.
“I'm just an aggressive player,” he said. “I just come here to work and do my job and that's all I do. And so anything that they ask me to do, I'm the guy to do it. I can take care of it.”
Ford is fired up to have the decision behind him.
“Really exciting,” he said. “I'll be able to just focus on my body and my schoolwork and just focus on what's important and getting to the next level.
“That's, that's the most important thing to me right now. Just being able to get myself ready to play at the next level. I want to be able to have that a hundred percent of my focus.”
Ford gives the Irish five commits in the Class of 2022, joining linebacker Nolan Ziegler, tight end Jack Nickel and offensive linemen Ty Chan and Joey Tanona.