Four months after being named the most outstanding football player in U Sports, University of Waterloo quarterback Tre Ford is looking to parlay his final season with the Warriors into a shot at the National Football League.
The Niagara Falls native is the first player in the school’s history to win the Hec Crighton Trophy, boasting a strong enough skillset to garner interest from professional teams in both Canada and the United States.
“I’m just looking obviously, to get a shot in the NFL and shot in the [Canadian Football League] to play quarterback,” Ford told CTV News.
In three full seasons as the Warriors’ starting quarterback, the 24-year-old became the program’s all-time leader in passing yards (7,118) and passing touchdowns (56), on his way to earning U Sports Rookie of the Year honours, two OUA Most Valuable Player awards, and an All-Canadian selection.
“I think the first team to call was the [New York Giants],” Ford recalled. “Four or five [NFL] teams called I think before the season, after the season a little bit more, then after the pro day it kinda all blew up.”
Waterloo Warriors football head coach Chris Bertoia said Ford has fielded calls from at least 24 NFL teams and believes there is a chance his star quarterback will be offered a pro contract later this year.
“Back in the day, I played with a few very good football players,” Bertoia said. “Tre Ford to me is the greatest football player that I have ever been around.”
If selected, Ford could become only the second U Sports quarterback to be drafted into the NFL and the first to sign a pro contract in 40 years. According to TSN football insider Dave Naylor, what separates Ford from other players who came before him are his abilities on the field.
“His athleticism, his ability to throw the ball, the people who watch him and have studied him say his ability in space when he’s got the ball running in the backfield is better than anybody they’ve seen at the U Sport level,” Naylor said in an interview with CTV News. “I don’t think he’ll be an any later pick than the second round of the CFL Draft and I think he will get into an NFL camp this summer.”
Ford is scheduled to travel to Buffalo, New York to take part in a pro workout with the Buffalo Bills on Friday.
The quarterback is set to enter the NFL Draft on April 28, where he could be selected by any of the league’s 32 teams. If Ford is not selected by the end of the seven rounds, he can sign with an NFL team as a free agent.
The Canadian Football League draft opens on May 3, where many scouts expect Ford to be an early round selection.
