Ford says 'It's that time' after making his debut at Pitt camp
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At the conclusion of his pre-practice press briefing Monday morning, Pat Narduzzi said he had a “little surprise’ and blew his whistle three times.
That call brought a player out of the locker room - a 6’0” safety whose absence had been felt since camp started.
It was Paris Ford, and finally, after a long summer away, he was a part of the Pitt football team.
“I’m here, man. It’s that time,” Ford said. "I've been waiting for this moment."
The four-star recruit from Steel Valley did not enroll with the rest of the 2017 class in June due to eligibility issues. But after completing several classes this summer, he was able to meet the NCAA’s requirements and joined the team this weekend.
“He’s fired up to be here,” Narduzzi said. “We’ve worked hard all summer, obviously, and it’s nice that everybody you signed got here. Some guys get here slower.”
For his part, Ford was all smiles as he thanked his parents, his trainers and mentors and a few of the Pitt coaches who helped in the process: namely, Narduzzi and linebackers coach Rob Harley.
Ford had practiced with the team prior to Monday morning, since he was already wearing shoulder pads - making Monday his third day of practice, at least (NCAA acclimation rules require two practices without pads). During the media viewing window on Monday, he worked on some special teams drills.
In the spring, Ford told Panther-Lair.com the Pitt coaches were projecting him as a boundary safety.
The No. 5 safety prospect in the class of 2017 and the No. 51 overall prospect in the nation, Ford was on the short list of Pitt recruits who were expected to contribute as freshmen. Earlier in camp, defensive coordinator Josh Conklin said that Ford would work as a nickel in Pitt’s third down “Delta” package; but that was early in camp, and Narduzzi said Monday that seeing the field will be difficult for a player who has missed as much practice time as Ford has.
“Expectations-wise, with Paris, he’s really, you can say 17 days late,” Narduzzi said. “So my expectations are - and I told him the same thing: we’re not saying, ‘Hey, let’s go Paris; you’re the savior.’ That ain’t gonna happen.
“In my opinion, he’s going to redshirt and if something else happens besides that, it’s a miracle, pretty much. It’s just too hard to come in as a kid like that and come do it. So we’re just happy he’s here, he’s in school and that’s the main thing.”