By Alex Boggis, UT Martin Assistant Sports Information Director
MARTIN, Tenn. – Reigning Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year and University of Tennessee at Martin football standout John H. Ford II added to his decorated list of achievements after being named to The Associate Press FCS All-America third team presented by Regions Bank.
Ford concluded his career by earning back-to-back All-OVC first team honors while also garnering the program’s first OVC Defensive Player of the Year selection. A finalist for the 2022 Buck Buchanan Award, Ford tallied 106 tackles, including 10.5 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks, an interception, two pass breakups, four quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
The Nashville, Tenn. native ranked third in the OVC in tackles (9.5/game), second in sacks (0.45/game) and third in tackles for loss (0.95/game). Ford helped UT Martin rank first nationally in turnovers gained (28) and in the top 20 nationally in tackles for loss (17th) and sacks (20th).
Ford had double-digit tackles in five games, including a season-high 13 stops in victories over Western Illinois and Murray State. He also tallied 12 tackles – including 2.0 tackles for loss against Missouri State while notching 10 tackles, a forced fumble and fumble recovery against Houston Christian.
For his career, Ford tallied 251 tackles while notching 22.0 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. He has also defended 14 passes while recording seven interceptions and forcing three fumbles in 40 games.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information