Jerome Ford is no longer on the University of Cincinnati football roster. The 2021 first-team All-American Athletic Conference running back and the Most Valuable Player in last season's AAC championship game is preparing for the 2022 NFL Draft.
As the clock winds down to the 2022 season-opener, Bearcats coach Luke Fickell knows he needs to find someone to replace Ford's record-setting production in the backfield.
"That position in particular, we've got a lot of guys who have got some experience," Fickell said. "Do we have one that can carry the ball 20-25 times a game? I don't know. I didn't know if we had that in Jerome either. But I think that they're a very competitive group. ... They flash, they've got some speed, they've got some aggressive nature, they can break some tackles, they can all catch the ball. So it'll be interesting to see how we can use all their abilities."
Fickell has said his top priority this spring is to build the team's camaraderie. Along with that comes the daunting task of finding a new starting quarterback.
Like Ford, Desmond Ridder is preparing for the next level. What helped Ridder become the back-to-back AAC Offensive Player of the Year over the last two seasons was having a dynamic playmaker at running back who can alleviate some of the stress and attract the attention of opposing defenses.
That playmaker was Ford.
In just two seasons at Cincinnati, the 5-foot-11, 220-pound Alabama transfer compiled a resume that cemented him as one of the top running backs in UC history.
Ford rushed for an AAC-leading 1,319 yards and a conference-high 19 touchdowns last season, his first as the Bearcats' every-down back. He also tied the single-season school records for rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns (20), while compiling four scores of at least 75 yards over his final 15 games.
But now, it's someone else's turn.
"I want to see who wants to step up," Cincinnati running backs coach Darren Paige told The Enquirer. "That's my goal this spring. Who's going to take those steps to trying to fill the shoes of Jerome? Jerome took a big bulk of the carries. I want to see who's going to step into that role."
The list of candidates is long. First on the list is 5-foot-11, 193-pound senior Charles McClelland.
After suffering a torn ACL in each knee over the 2019 and 2020 seasons, McClelland is healthy and appears to be back to the speed that helped him rack up nearly 600 total scrimmage yards and five total touchdowns in 2018.
"To see Chuck, him being an old head, he's knocking some of the rust off and he looks like a sports car out there at times," Paige said. "He's been explosive and had a lot of good plays and a lot of big plays."
For the first time in his Cincinnati career, McClelland has an opportunity to be the feature back.
"I have been looking forward to that, I can't lie," McClelland told The Enquirer. "I've just been grinding – honestly – to get to this point. Now that I've got a chance, I'm going to make the most of it."
Standing in McClelland's way is Ethan Wright. The 6-foot-1, 198-pound junior ran for a career-long 58-yard touchdown against Temple last season. Wright also accumulated 37 yards and a score on a career-high 10 carries at South Florida last season when Ford was sidelined with an ankle injury.
"We talked about it last year when we were going into that USF game," Wright said. "Together we were like, 'Yo, this could be a real look at what we've got going on next year. Let's just show them that we can do this."
The trio of McClelland, Wright and now redshirt freshman Ryan Montgomery combined for 143 rushing yards in Ford's absence.
Wright and McClelland split snaps with the first-team offense during the Bearcats' spring game on Saturday, but Paige said it has been Wright who has taken on the leadership role of the running backs room during spring camp.
"Ethan Wright has done a good job of stepping into that role and wants to be considered an older guy now," he said. "It feels like he's been around here for forever. So it's nice to see him say, 'Yeah, I played special teams. I made plays in that role, but I want to be the guy now.'"
Montgomery, who will likely return punts again for the Bearcats in 2022, will also split carries in the backfield this season. The 5-foot-10, 205-pound versatile athlete scored two touchdowns at USF a season ago, including one that went for a career-long 55 yards.
Sophomore Myles Montgomery, who Paige called a "ball of energy," and freshman running back Stephen Byrd also figure to be in the mix.
"I've got an exciting group," Paige said. "The competition level is unbelievably high. But they also care about each other, so it's a lot of the guys helping each other get better so they can compete and really raise the level of the entire standard of the room."
With each player showing glimpses of productivity, Ford's vote is to play them all this season if possible.
"You've got three, four guys who can really ball," Ford said. "You saw Monty (Ryan Montgomery) break out in the USF game. Ethan breaking out against Temple. So it's a really good group of dudes. If coach can, he might as well play all of them."
While Cincinnati's running backs work to create separation in a crowded backfield, Ford is working to better position himself in the 2022 NFL Draft (April 28-30). Ford said NFL teams have told him he needs to improve in pass protection and want to see him catch the ball more out of the backfield.
With those tasks on his to-do list, Ford continues to train, interview with teams and just enjoy the pre-draft process and embrace being a new father.
"It's been surreal," he said. "It's been like a dream come true, being able to do the things that you talk about as a kid to your friends and family. Your mom watching you on TV, and she's like, 'That's my baby.' I think that's the biggest thing for me: being able to make my family proud and accomplish something that I always wanted to accomplish."