Rudy Ford returns an interception for a TD in Auburn’s win over Idaho last season. (USA TODAY Sports)
Rudy Ford’s current situation at Auburn is a perfect example of how change can be a good thing.
After arriving on the Plains as Alabama’s top prep tailback following a senior year that saw him rush for 1,669 yards and 27 touchdowns at New Hope High School in 2012, Ford, a player known for his blazing speed, was switched from offense to the defensive backfield as a collegiate in an attempt to infuse more talent at a position in need of it.
As fate would have it, it was a move that propelled the 6-foot, 203-pound senior into becoming one of the Tigers top defensive players over the past two seasons. And it may put Ford in the Auburn history book.
Dating back to 1976, no Tiger player has ever led the team in tackles for three years in a row. Freddie Smith (1976,’77), Gregg Carr (1982,’83), Kurt Crain (1986, ’87), Quentin Riggins (1988, ’89) Takeo Spikes (1996, ’97), Alex Lincoln (1999, ’00), Will Herring (2005, ’06), Josh Bynes (2009, ’10) and Daren Bates (2011, ’12) all led AU in stops in back-to-back years, but none did it in three straight.
Ford could be the first Auburn player — on record — to do that in 2016.
“I didn’t know that,” said Ford when asked about the potential achievement. “That would be pretty cool.”
Ford’s ascension into one of the SEC’s best safeties has been a rather quick one. After earning his first varsity letter seeing spot duty at tailback and in the secondary in 2013, Ford had a breakout campaign after shifting to safety as a sophomore. He led the team in tackles with 93 and also chipped in three interceptions.
Last year as a junior, Ford topped the Auburn tackles list again (118) playing the “nickel” position in Will Muschamp’s defense. He’ll fill that role once more in new defensive coordinator Kevin Steele’s scheme, which Ford said has been picked up well be he and his teammates.
“The transition has been great,” said Ford, who will graduate with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies in December. “Really the defense, since I’ve been here, has been pretty much the same. As for as calling things; the names may be a little different but the defense is pretty much the same.
“(Will) Muschamp was a great coach. He showed a lot of things. But coach Steele and Muschamp do two different types of tactics. Coach Steele’s approach more or less lets us play.”
Despite being one of the team’s top defensive players, Ford is still given the opportunity to do what he loves — run the rock — as one of the Auburn’s primary kick returners. Last year he led the Tigers in kick return average (28.6 yards per return) and chances (15). His season-long 58-yarder against San Jose State provided the Tigers with a spark and helped set up a key TD.
“Sometimes,” Ford replied when he was asked if he missed playing running back. “I love having the ball in my hands because it was what I was used too. But I just love to play ball. So wherever I am, it doesn’t matter, I just love to be out there playing.”
In addition to Ford, who will line up on a team’s strong side most of the time in his nickel role, Auburn returns a number of quality veterans to a defensive unit that has the potential to be one of the SEC’s best. It’s especially salty along the defensive front — where defensive end Carl Lawson and tackle Montravius Adams will roam — and in the secondary. Big, athletic linebackers Tre’ Williams and Darrell Williams, both standouts in Auburn’s A-Day Game, will give the team a new look on the second level.
“(Darrell) Williams, he’s really improving,” Ford said. “He looks really good.”
Sophomore Carlton Davis, arguably the Tigers best defensive player a year ago, has shut-down corner written all over him. He could combine with corner Jamel Dean, an Ohio State transfer who sat out last year, to give Auburn its best starting cornerback tandem in years. Seniors Joshua Holsey and T.J. Davis along with redshirt freshman Javaris Davis will also see time at corner.
Juniors Tray Matthews, Stephen Roberts and Nick Ruffin and sophomore Tim Irvin will compete for the starting safety spots. Roberts and Ruffin played well down the stretch last season and Irvin has a promising future. Matthews will try to bounce back from a shoulder injury that hampered him for much of last year. He sat out spring practice after offseason surgery on that same shoulder.
“I feel like we’re going to have a great secondary,” Ford said. “We’ve got a lot of guys back and we have really good chemistry between each other so we’re on the same page.
“We have some new guys that are going to step in like (Jamel) Dean, but I feel really great right now about what we have in the secondary.”
After a season of steady improvement on D, which culminated in a 31-10 win over Memphis in the Birmingham Bowl, Ford and his defensive teammates are taking it upon themselves to take it one step further. They want to become a dominant unit. And that all starts with working hard in practice.
“That’s definitely a goal,” Ford said. “We are still working some things out within ourselves. We really want to play great defense this year. That’s one of the biggest things we want to do.
“We have a lot of guys that are hungry and ready to get out there and start playing again. This spring, the whole attitude was just different. We wanted to go out there and fly around and get to the ball. If we are all around the ball that lowers the chance for anyone to break away — and that limits all the explosive plays.
“We didn’t have the season we wanted last year. So this year that motivates us and we just all want to go out there and just play. And play well.”
In a few months from now, Ford will begin his final season in a Tiger uniform. And if history is any indicator, he will perform well and perhaps make history. But one man doesn’t make a defense, nor does it make a football team. But one man’s effort can be an example of how to take the right approach to being successful.
“Our new theme is ‘Earn It,’” Ford said. “I’m the type of leader that leads by example. If I’m out there pushing as hard as I can go, that’s going to rub off on the next guy.”
