Scoobie Earns A Scholly
November 03, 2021 | Football, Joel Coleman
Christian Ford’s refusal to give up has taken him from walk-on to scholarship athlete for MSU.
STARKVILLE – It was back before last season when he caught Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers' eye.
Inside the Palmeiro Center, MSU was running 7-on-7 drills. One receiver was standing out.
"There was this fast guy running around, making plays," Rogers recalled.
The Bulldog with all the quickness was none other than Christian Ford, or as his teammates call him, Scoobie.
Forged By Family
Perhaps Ford's nickname is the best place to start this tale of a player who wouldn't give up and just this past Sunday, reaped the reward when he learned he was given a full scholarship to play for State after previously being a walk-on. More on that later. First things first. How in the world did Ford become Scoobie?
"My older brother, he wanted [Scoobie] as my real name," Ford said. "He never stopped calling me that. As I was growing up, I used to run from it like in elementary and middle school. But it just always stuck to me. So in high school, most teachers, they didn't even know my real name. Teachers and coaches called me Scoobie. [My brother's] favorite show was Scooby-Doo so he wanted that to be my name."
Scoobie has continued to stick. Hang around an MSU football practice or sideline and you'll never hear Ford called by his given name. It's always Scoobie, or Scoob.
It's fitting the moniker came from Ford's family, because family has played such a huge part in getting Ford to where he now is.
Ford came to Mississippi State after a couple of seasons elsewhere. The Atlanta, Ga., native redshirted at Georgia Southern during the 2018 season, then played his redshirt freshman year at Iowa Central Community College in 2019.
When the 2019 campaign finished, Ford had his sights set on moving on to a bigger football stage. He had opportunities in front of him. But then…
"Out of juco, about two days before signing day, coaches just stopped texting me and calling me and really left me out to dry," Ford said.
Here was a football player with nowhere to play football. Ford was at a loss. There wasn't much he could do about it, but there was one thing he could do.
"That whole spring semester [in 2020], I was at home working," Ford said. "It's easy to give up when nothing is happening, but I kept faith and believed in God."
Pushing Ford was his father, Glenn Ford. Glenn knew a thing or two about maximum effort, having lettered in football at Georgia from 1994 through 1998. Scoobie credits his own relentless work ethic to his dad.
Also influential though was Scoobie's late grandfather.
"He was my biggest supporter," Scoobie said. "He passed away my freshman year. He always knew I was going to play in the SEC, so I did all this for him. I kept going. There were times I wanted to quit football. I had a conversation with my dad like, 'This might not be for me.' But he reminded me of my grandad and how my grandad didn't want me to quit. So I didn't quit. I kept going and kept working. I got bigger, faster, stronger and didn't make any excuses, and I made it."
Made it, indeed. Scoobie did the work and MSU gave him an opportunity.
"My dad told me one day a coach had hit him up," Scoobie said. "He said it's an opportunity to walk on at Mississippi State. They said they play the best players, walk-on or not. They kept their word. I just kept grinding and got on scholarship."
Special Sunday
Scoobie received the news of his scholarship in a team meeting this past Sunday, one day after the Bulldogs topped then-No. 12 Kentucky in dominating fashion. In the previous day's game, Scoobie had one catch for 17 yards.
MSU head coach Mike Leach was showing clips from the Kentucky contest to the Bulldog squad and had saved Scoobie's reception for last. Then, Leach made the announcement that Scoobie's schooling was now paid in full.
"Guys were standing up and going crazy and clapping," Rogers said, trying to paint the scene. "Everybody on the team loves Scoob. He's tremendous. He's a great teammate. I can't say enough about him."
The catch against the Wildcats might've been the precursor to the Scoobie scholarship celebration, but it was far from the sole cause. It was a moment a long time in the making.
There was Georgia Southern. There was Iowa Central CC. Then came the lonely workouts where Scoobie wondered what, if anything, was next.
Finally, Scoobie landed at MSU, but even then he still had to prove himself. He was on the scout team all last season. He was on the sideline every game but didn't see any action.
"I traveled to every game, soaked it in," Scoobie said.
All the while, Scoobie was inching forward. He improved last fall. He got better over this past spring. Then prior to this season, Scoobie had his shot.
"They told me in fall camp I was going to get a lot of reps," Scoobie said. "It was up to me what I did with the reps. I took full advantage of them."
These days, Scoobie is making plays pretty much every Saturday. He's caught 14 passes for 160 yards to help State to a 5-3 record, including three wins over current Top 25 teams – a feat no one else in the country can claim.
Scoobie has done his part to get the Bulldogs to this point by being productive on the field, and he's also setting an example off it.
"He's a great example of a steady worker," Leach said of Scoobie. "If anybody's working afterwards, it's him. He works incredibly hard. He never stops working."
Says inside receivers coach Dave Nichol: "He's practicing really well, which I know is kind of boring, but he's come a long way with his hands and his ball skills. He's always been really fast. He's just kind of worked on his craft the last nine months. He's always out here. [In the] offseason, it's getting dark [outside], I look out my window [and he's there]. There's usually a reason why guys play. I've been really proud of him. Hopefully he continues to get better."
Not Settling
Improving is certainly Scoobie's goal. He's got a scholarship now, but he's by no means at all content.
"It can only mean more now," Scoobie said. "More focused. More extra work. Just more."
Of course hard work is nothing new for Scoobie Ford.
"You've got to love it," Rogers said. "An out of state guy that comes from [junior college] and for him to just come out and work hard and earn his spot on the team, Scoobie has earned everything he's gotten…I think everybody on the team respects him for that."
This past Tuesday, Scoobie was named as a nominee for the Burlsworth Trophy. It's an honor awarded each year to the nation's top college football player who started his career as a walk-on.
The nomination is a testament to where Scoobie has been. It's been a long road, but Scoobie made it. Now he keeps pressing onward.
"Sometimes you just have to play the card you're dealt," Scoobie said. "That's what I had to do. Me and my dad, we sacrificed, and I came out on top. I'm just ready to keep going and keep working and make more plays."
