FAYETTEVILLE- The University of Arkansas impressed safety Christian Ford so much during his official visit that he orally committed to the Razorbacks on Sunday.
"I had a great time. Made me feel at home," said Ford, who told the Arkansas coaches during dinner on Saturday he wanted to pledge. "Everybody was really cool and made me feel like this is the place I needed to be."
Ford, 6-0, 187 pounds, of McKinney, Texas, chose Arkansas over offers from TCU, Nebraska, Colorado, Arizona, SMU, Minnesota, Illinois, Kansas and other schools.
An On3.com 3-star prospect, Ford was hosted by freshman linebackers Mani Powell and Jordan Crook.
Ford said the Razorbacks coaches were thrilled when he committed.
"Everybody was excited. Everybody was cheering me on," Ford said. "It was a fun time."
He thinks highly of Arkansas cornerbacks coach Dominique Bowman, who is his lead recruiter.
"He's a great coach. He's a great coach," Ford said. "I know he's going to get me right and potentially help me make it to the NFL."
Ford is the second defensive back to pledge to the Razorbacks and the 13th overall commitment in the 2023 class.
Oral commitments are nonbinding.