Bielema Attempting to Maximize Luke Ford’s Final Season in Champaign
Illinois tight end Luke Ford has been nominated to the 2022 John Mackey Award preseason watch list as Bret Bielema tries to maximize his potential in an Illini uniform.
By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst
July 26, 2022
URBANA, Ill. -- Bret Bielema knows what a John Mackey Award looks like and would like to see his projected starting tight end get close to level.
Luke Ford, who is entering his final season at Illinois, was one of 54 tight ends to appear on the 2022 preseason watch list for the award given to the nation’s best tight end in college football. Ford, a 6-foot-6 and 260-pound tight end from Carterville, finished this past season with just 15 receptions for 114 yards and two touchdowns last season. All of these career-high numbers for Ford, a former five-star tight end prospect who originally signed with and played his first season at Georgia, still represent a slightly disappointing set of results for a four-year career that he’s publicly said he’d like to reverse in his final season in Champaign.