USC's Kyle Ford on debut: 'I just kind of appreciate it a little more'

Kyle Ford was one of the marquee names in USC's 2019 recruiting class as a 4-star Rivals100 wide receiver who made his commitment announcement live during the All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas, last January.

While he was recovering from a torn ACL sustained last fall during his final season at Orange Lutheran High School, Ford was always intent on contributing this season for the Trojans.

And last Friday night at Colorado he finally got that chance -- though not exactly in the way fans would have expected back when Ford's addition gave the Trojans' class a huge boost.

No, USC has been very cautious with the promising wide receiver, working him off to the side with trainers for much of the fall before slowing easing him back into practice in recent weeks. And as he made his debut in the eighth game of the season last week, it was on special teams as part of the punt return and kickoff coverage units.

Ford was just happy to be back on the field, though.

"It's been a while since I've played the game, so I just kind of appreciate it a little more and I'm just happy to be out there with my guys," Ford said Tuesday after practice. "... Anyway I can help this team I'm here to do it, and I told the coaches that, I'm just excited to be out there."

Ford says he definitely wanted to return to action sooner -- way sooner -- but he appreciates the approach the Trojans' staff took with the final stages of his recovery and rehab.

"Probably at the fifth month I felt like I was ready. But I'm fortunate I took the time because now looking back on it I wasn't ready, so I'm just glad that I feel good now and I'm able to get that brace off finally and let it loose a little bit," he said.

How good does he feel?

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