98 days until Notre Dame football: New number, new opportunity for Tyson Ford

BlueandGold.com will release a countdown article highlighting a significant Fighting Irish football statistic every day until the 2023 Notre Dame season opener against Navy in Dublin, Ireland, on Aug. 26. Today, there are 98 days until the Fighting Irish and Midshipmen kick off at Aviva Stadium.

Tyson Ford showed up at Notre Dame last year wearing No. 98. He made a subtle change to No. 95 ahead of his sophomore season. The number swap comes with the feeling he’s going to make some noise at defensive tackle this fall.

Somewhat ironically, freshman Devan Houston now owns No. 98. He’s in a similar position to that of Ford from last year. With so much depth at defensive tackle, Houston is in line to redshirt. But with a solid year of reps in practices he can position himself where Ford is now: not just knocking on the door for playing time but banging it down.

Ford was a menace in April’s Blue-Gold Game. He consistently found ways to get into the backfield. Notre Dame needs that from anybody, not just Ford, with Jayson Ademilola moving on to the next level. Ademilola was a force in the middle of the Irish d-line the last few seasons.

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Rylie Mills and Howard Cross III are Notre Dame’s projected starters at the two tackle spots. Jason Onye and Gabriel Rubio are the likely backups. But tackle is a position in which Ford can work his way into the rotation. And after only playing 1 defensive snap all year in 2022, it will feel like Ford’s maturation was overnight.

Ford still has to prove his worth to position coach Al Washington and defensive coordinator Al Golden. What happens in the spring can be a precursor for what happens in the fall, but it doesn’t have to be. And it’s not always the case. But at 6-5 1/4 and 302 pounds, Ford has size almost all of his position mates do not. Aidan Keanaaina is the only heavier defensive lineman on the roster. He weighs 312 pounds.

Sure tackling and an ability to cause chaos in opponents’ backfields will not only get Ford some playing time this season, but it will keep him on the field at a position in which Notre Dame needs some players to stand out. Ford could easily be the one who rises up and does so.

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