SPRING, Texas -- Keith Ford is back, and all he really wants to do is play football.
Now that the ESPN 150 running back and Under Armour All-American from Cypress (Texas) Cy Ranch is healthy and his recruiting process is over, nothing is standing in his way. Ford is happily entering the summer with a clear head and a clean bill of health.
His summer started Saturday at the Houston Under Armour Sevens tournament at Klein Oak High School. Ford was his usual explosive self as an inside receiver, and led Cy Ranch to a 4-1 record and a third-place finish.
"Nobody can keep up with him," Cy Ranch seven-on-seven coach Darrell Johnson said. "He's every bit as good without the pads as he is with them."
And Ford is every bit as happy, too, after spending the winter sidelined following surgery for his fractured right foot. He was limited to only noncontact action in Ranch's practices this spring.
That injury certainly didn't slow down Ford's recruitment. The Oklahoma commit earned offers and attention from elite programs across the country, from USC to Ohio State to Florida State.
Everyone wanted a piece of the 5-foot-10, 200-pound back who's ranked third in the country at his position and 36th in the ESPN 150. So Ford's parents came up with a plan to handle the recruiting process.
"Me and his mom served as a filter. You've got to control it," father Keith Ford Sr. said. "I mean, he's a teenager. If you give that [responsibility] to them too soon, sometimes they don't know how to handle it and things can get taken out of context."
Coaches and reporters had to go through Dad if they wanted to chat. The parents cut out the noise and avoided any drama.
Ford's cellphone still rang constantly, of course, but he ended up appreciating his family's approach.
"My coach would ask me if I wanted to talk to USC and all these other schools, and at first I said, 'Yeah.' After a while, it got way too hectic," Ford said. "I'd have to call a different coach every day. That excitement went away. I wanted to get the pressure off of my back."
Ford and his father have been researching possible college destinations since his sophomore year, so trimming down his list of schools to five wasn't difficult.
Although Ford felt plenty of pressure to consider Texas and Texas A&M, he felt no urge to stay in-state. His dad is a retired Marine, and his family has moved around plenty -- including a five-year stint in Okinawa, Japan.
Ford was willing to play anywhere, and his father now says the final five were OU, Wisconsin, Florida State, Michigan and Nebraska. Wisconsin managed to emerge as the surprise runner-up despite the fact Ford couldn't visit Madison this spring.
Ford made his verbal pledge to the Sooners during a junior day visit March 3, saying he felt he fit in at Oklahoma. Plus, his parents bonded with OU running backs coach Cale Gundy because he was candid and told Ford exactly where he fit in the program's plans.
Right after he delivered his commitment, Ford went to OU's on-campus bookstore and loaded up on Sooners swag. He wore his T-shirts, hats and jackets every day for several weeks. He was proud, yes, but also glad that process was over.
The process of rehabbing his foot was far more frustrating, but that's finally over as well.
"I was kind of bummed out because I wanted to play basketball, but I had to sacrifice it to get better, and I had to think long term a little bit too," he said. "At first I was shocked and kind of down a little, but the surgery was what's best for me and my future."
Ford showed no signs of a limp on the field Saturday as he cut through defenses and hauled in passes over the middle.
He's not done showing off his Sooners pride, either. Ford wore an Oklahoma hat on the sidelines throughout the day, and his father sported a crimson No. 5 jersey with "Ford" on the back.
Cypress Ranch lost to eventual regional champion The Woodlands (Texas) College Park in the semifinals Saturday. That loss stung, Ford said, but he can't complain too much. After the past few months he's had, he'd been looking forward to lacing up the cleats and going full speed again.
"It really does feel good to be out here with my teammates," Ford said. "It really feels good just to be playing football."