Kentucky football offensive line rebuild continues with commitment from USC transfer
Shortly before the end of spring practice, Kentucky football offensive line coach Zach Yenser made it clear all options were still on the table for the Wildcats’ right tackle competition.
“Whether that’s somebody in our room or we’ve got to go get another one, we’re going to do whatever we have to do to feel confident to be able to win games this fall,” Yenser said.
On Saturday, Kentucky “got another one” with a commitment from Southern California transfer Courtland Ford. While Ford has not publicly announced his commitment on social media, UK coaches retweeted reports of his commitment and Kentucky freshman tight end Josh Kattus tweeted a picture of Ford from his official visit to campus with the caption “new addition.”
Ford, a 6-foot-6, 305-pound native of Cedar Hill, Texas, started 12 games across three seasons at Southern Cal. As a redshirt freshman in 2021, he started the Trojans’ first eight games at left tackle. Last fall, he started three games at the position but was passed on the depth chart by Virginia transfer Bobby Haskins.
Ford was expected to compete for a featured role on the Southern Cal offensive line in 2023 but was limited in spring practice due to what head coach Lincoln Riley called a “small offseason procedure.”
As a high schooler, Ford was at one time rated as a four-star prospect, but his recruiting rankings slipped after what his father described in an interview as a “corrective procedure” designed to “straighten his leg out” during his sophomore season. Ford initially committed to LSU as a junior but reopened his recruitment when LSU coaches backed off their pursuit of him.
Ford appeared in 20 games at Southern Cal, starting 12 games. Of his 12 starts, 11 came at left tackle.
Northern Illinois transfer Marques Cox is expected to start at left tackle for Kentucky in the fall, but the Wildcats ended spring practice without a clear starter at right tackle. Incumbent Jeremy Flax is back, as are backups David Wohlabaugh and Deondre Buford, but offensive coordinator Liam Coen made it clear in his public comments that coaches were still searching for improvements from that group.
“A long way to go for us to get to a point of trust to be able to play somebody at that position,” Coen said. “Now, they’re all working and I really appreciate their work. But it’s about continuing to do that snap in and snap out and being as consistent as possible.”
If Ford wins a starting job, Kentucky would feature a new starter at each offensive line position a year after the Wildcats ranked 126th of 131 teams nationally in sacks allowed.
The addition of Cox allowed Kenneth Horsey, who played left tackle out of necessity in 2022, to move back to his natural left guard position when he announced plans to return for his pandemic season of eligibility. During spring practice, coaches moved Jager Burton and Eli Cox one position to the right from where they played last season with Burton now starting at center and Cox returning to the right guard position where he was a midseason All-American in 2021.
Kentucky also added Alabama transfer Tanner Bowles, who is expected to serve a rotational role at the guard positions, during the winter transfer window. Redshirt freshman tackle Nik Hall, who missed spring practice while recovering from offseason surgery, and freshman center Koby Keenum could also push for spots in the rotation while looking for their first game action as Wildcats in 2023.
“There’s more competition in the room, and guys can’t relax,” Yenser said. “They know they’ve got to bring it every day.”