University of Florida commit KJ Ford is one of the top prospects in the college football recruiting Class of 2026. He now brings serious character concerns to Gainesville after an ugly high school football incident in Texas on Friday.
The 6-foot-3.5, 245-pound senior threw a punch in the postgame handshake line.
It was an unfortunate end to a really disappointing night for one of the top teams in high school football. Duncanville will be without their star edge rusher for the foreseeable future with suspension looming.
Who is KJ Ford?
Ford is currently rated as a four-star prospect out of the Lone Star State. He ranks as the No. 11 player at his position and a top-100 athlete overall.
More than 35 different college programs offered him a scholarship, including Miami, Oklahoma, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida State, LSU and Nebraska, among others. Only Alabama, Texas A&M, Ohio State and Florida got him on campus for a visit. Ford ultimately chose the Gators in July.
Mind you, there are still three months until the Early Signing Period in December and five months until National Signing Day in February so things can still change. Especially with how things are trending for Billy Napier. A commitment means nothing unless the signature is on the paper.
However, KJ Ford may no longer be of interest to other suitors because of his behavior on Friday.
Duncanville suffered a major high school football upset.
For those who are not familiar with Texas high school football, Duncanville does not lose. The Panthers won back-to-back state championships at 15-0 in 2022 and 14-1 in 2023. They finished at 13-1 in 2024.
Waxahachie flipped the Texas high school football world upside down on Friday. The Indians rallied back from an 18-point third-quarter deficit to beat the No. 4-ranked team in the country by a final score of 28-27.
KJ Ford was unable to keep his cool after the loss.
He initially turned back to grab an opponent by the facemask during the postgame handshake line. And then he swung on a player in street clothes after getting pulled away from the scene by his teammates.
I do not know what led Ford to snap in the first place. Perhaps the Waxahachie player said something that crossed the line. Maybe he let his emotions get the best of him and overreacted to an unkind chirp.
It doesn’t matter. KJ Ford’s behavior is unacceptable. A suspension is coming.