Josh Ford Discusses Freshman Season, What He’s Worked on This Offseason

STILLWATER — There wasn’t a ton to be hopeful about during the Cowboys’ 3-9 2024 season, but Josh Ford provided a bright spot for the future of Oklahoma State’s tight end room.

A Stillwater native, Ford made an immediate impact going from Pioneer Stadium to Boone Pickens Stadium. Playing in all 12 of the Pokes’ games, Ford made six starts as a true freshman and had 10 catches for 92 yards and a touchdown.

“Flexibility, I wanted to get bigger, stronger,” said Ford of his focus this winter. “First year starting last year, I was big, but I didn’t have a lot of muscle on me. Kind of getting bullied around a little bit, so definitely more strength and work on my speed a little bit.”

Ford certainly doesn’t look like someone who was in high school last school year. He’s listed at 6-foot-6, 255 pounds. That size is even more evident when standing next to him for an interview.

The tight end position in Stillwater has gone through a few changes over the years in Stillwater. Tight ends are called tight ends again after a span where the tight end-fullback hybrid was dubbed as Cowboy back. There have also been an interesting collection of guys playing the position. Jelani Woods started his OSU career as a quarterback before tacking on some weight and moving to tight end. He led OSU tight ends in receiving yards from 2018 to 2020. Braden Cassity led the group the next two years. He was a converted defensive lineman. OSU ditched the Cowboy back moniker going into the 2023 season and brought in Josiah Johnson from the transfer portal to establish the position group’s new era.

Ford’s freshman season was the best from an OSU tight end who was recruited out of high school to play tight end since Blake Jarwin’s senior season in 2016.

True freshman TD! The hometown kid scores his first touchdown as a Cowboy 🤠

📺: ESPN2 | @JoshFord888 pic.twitter.com/fTjja6ZGQ6

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) September 14, 2024

OSU seemed to make the position group a priority this offseason. There are a trio of tight end transfers joining the room in Oscar Hammond (North Texas), Will Monney (Utah State) and Jordan Owens (Central Arkansas). The group also has a new position coach in DJ Tialavea, who OSU hired from Utah State. Ford said the newcomers in the room challenges him to get better in different ways and credited Tialavea for bringing intensity.

“Josh’s development, mentally, will be a plus for him,” OSU coach Mike Gundy said. “When you’re out there as a true freshman, you’re just playing. Now he’ll feel better, he’s accustomed to it, playing on the road. He’s always been a great worker. He’s a tough guy. He should start to make some strides in games 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, through that part of the season. He should really start making some strides. …

“We all like tight ends. The ones that can do two things are an advantage. Adds an extra gap in the blocking schemes, then a guy that can potentially catch a pass. They’re valuable. We’ve made investments in tight ends.”

Ford enrolled early last year and went through spring ball with the Cowboys. He said it was during spring ball where he started to have an inkling he had a shot at contributing as a true freshman, and it doesn’t sound as if he has taken his foot off the gas going into his sophomore year.

“I didn’t know where I was gonna be (last year),” Ford said. “I just knew I was gonna give it my best in spring ball. That’s what I’m doing now. There’s no guarantees I’m gonna start this year at all. That’s just the goal for every practice is giving it all from beginning to end.

“If I’m not the best guy to be out there, I don’t want to be out there because I want the best for this team. I just had no idea. It was definitely a gift from God because I was able to use that position to make his name great out on the field, point up in the end zone when I score a touchdown — that’s the best thing there is.”