D’Shaun Ford committed to play college football at Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday but he is already planning to enter the transfer portal after his freshman season. He wants to be the next Ahmad Hardy.
Although this kind of upward moment is not uncommon in the modern era of collegiate athletics, this is the first time that we are hearing a player say the quiet part out loud.
Ford, a native of Opelousas, is rated as a three-star prospect in the college football recruiting Class of 2025 and the 43rd-ranked player at his position. 22 schools offered him a scholarship, including Alabama, Michigan, Florida State, Ole Miss, Miami, Tennessee and Auburn.
D’Shaun Ford has a plan.
Instead of playing second, third or even fourth fiddle in a crowded SEC, Big Ten or ACC running back room, Ford decided to play at ULM. He announced his commitment on live television during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
He's a Warhawk‼️
— ULM Football (@ULM_FB) January 11, 2025
Running back @d1shaun2 announces his declaration to play at ULM during the @AABonNBC ✍️
Welcome to the Warhawk family, D'Shaun! pic.twitter.com/3zehokz2xt
Although the Warhawks are thrilled with the news, they should not expect to have him on their roster for long. The 5-foot-10, 225-pound ball-carrier is already looking to leave. Ford is going to enter the transfer portal at his first opportunity, as soon as next December.
According to On3, his plan is to earn the starting job at ULM as a freshman and ball out in 2025. From there, he will hit the portal with the goal of transferring up to a better school in need of an RB1.
BREAKING: Opelousas (La.) High running back D’Shaun Ford announced his commitment to Louisiana-Monroe. He sees a path to star in year one and then hit the Transfer Portal.
— Steve Wiltfong (@SWiltfong_) January 11, 2025
“I want to be the next Ahmad Hardy.”
Story here: https://t.co/SfEGr8RTjF pic.twitter.com/RmZOeJ2nOE
Ahmad Hardy was a three-star running back recruit in the Class of 2024. He ran for 1,351 yards and 13 touchdowns on 237 carries as a freshman at Louisiana-Monroe, hit the portal last month and eventually committed to Missouri. It was never his plan to transfer up after only one year, it just happened that way. That is a common theme in college football.
The same cannot be said for D’Shaun Ford. He intentionally committed to the Warhawks with the intention of leaving less than 12 months later. This is a new one!