Ford Tough
A highly touted recruit out of Houston Kincaid High, most people thought he would want to follow in his father’s (five-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Ray Childress) footsteps and play football for Texas A&M - and if not A&M, then maybe Texas Tech or TCU. But at the end of the day, West Virginia had two offensive advantages that none of the other schools could offer him: Dana Holgorsen as a head coach and offensive coordinator and an offensive scheme that fit Childress’ style and level of play perfectly. “The first time I met (Holgorsen) was during my junior season,” Childress recalled. “That’s when I started talking to him and when I started to get interested in West Virginia. “I think Dana’s one of the best offensive coordinators in the game right now; I really like the offense he runs and how explosive it is.” It’s an offense that boasted only one of four sets of 1,000-yard receivers in college football last season, and one that allowed West Virginia to become one of just two schools that had a 4,000-yard passer and two 1,000-yard receivers. The Mountaineers finished the season ranked sixth in passing offense and 13th in scoring offense, not to mention a No. 15 ranking in total offense overall. For Childress, this style of offensive play and the subsequent statistics attained were exactly what he was looking for. “I ran a system in high school that’s very similar,” he explained. “It’s just a lot faster here and the guys are quicker. We also use numbers instead of words for routes so that was the main transition.” At Houston Kincaid, Childress led the team to a 20-1 record in two seasons as a starter and completed 184-of-292 passes for 3,171 yards and 41 touchdowns with only seven interceptions in 10 games as a senior. Completing 63 percent of his passes, he also threw for 300 or more yards in six games and for 400 or more yards once. If those high school numbers offer even the slightest indication of what Childress can do, the future is going to be very bright for this Mountaineer. “He has tremendous talent,” Holgorsen said. “He’s physically very imposing with a phenomenal arm, which is exactly what we knew when we recruited him. On understanding the offense, obviously he’s got a long ways to go. He looked like Paul (Millard) did last year when he first got here. It’s going to take time and reps for him to be comfortable with it like Geno (Smith) and Paul are.” Right now, Childress is focused on two things - making the transition from high school to college both athletically and academically, and preparing to compete for the backup spot behind Geno Smith. Like most other freshmen making the transition, Childress believes the biggest adjustment has been the pace of the game and of college life in general. “At first, everything was really fast and hectic,” he explained. “Now, things are starting to slow back down and I’m starting to get used to it and get a feel for it. Everything is starting to slow down and make a lot more sense now. “Football is a life,” he added. “It takes up all of your time and it can just be tough adjusting quickly, but it’s gotten a lot easier and a lot better.” It helps that both Smith and Millard have been doing their part to ensure that Childress is learning fast and getting comfortable in his new role, teaching him the necessary footwork and reads that will allow him to reach the next level. “Day to day I just try to get better, take things one at a time and see how I match up with them,” he ended. With plenty of time to learn and grow as a student-athlete and great players ahead of him to learn from, there’s no doubt that Childress has the potential to make an exciting impact for the Mountaineers in the future. Tags Ford Childress, West Virginia University Mountaineers, WVU, NCAA college football, Big 12 Conference |
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