Why Oklahoma Transfer RB Keith Ford Would Be Perfect for Texas A&M

Former Notre Dame and new Florida State quarterback Everett Golson has dominated the transfer headlines this week, when he announced that he'll play his final year in Tallahassee.

Another high-profile transfer could make a big impact at a high-profile program too, just not in 2015.

Former Oklahoma running back, Keith Ford, announced his intention to transfer from the Sooners earlier this month, and it's no secret where he wants to go. According to Taylor Hamm of GigEm247.com, Ford—a native of Cypress, Texas—wants to play down the road from home at Texas A&M.

Ford commented on his options to Hamm:

"

Utah has called me, Louisville is showing a lot of interest and so has [University] of [Houston]. Texas A&M has also reached out to me. I don’t want to leave the state of Texas so I’m kind of leaning towards Texas A&M. It’s not official yet because I still need to talk with the coaches but I am leaning towards Texas A&M.

"

According to the report, Ford—who was suspended last semester due to academics and team policies—has spoken with Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin over the phone. Hamm reported on Thursday that the two are meeting on Thursday to discuss the possibility of Ford joining the program.

***UPDATE***

Hamm reported late Thursday night that Ford has committed to Texas A&M, according to Hamm.

***END OF UPDATE***

Ford will have two years of eligibility left and will have to sit out in 2015 due to his transfer within FBS, but he would be a solid piece to the revitalized Aggie rushing attack. The former 5-star prospect and top-ranked running back in the state of Texas in 2013, according to 247Sports, rushed for 526 yards and six touchdowns over the last two years for the Sooners.

Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press

He got off to a hot start in Norman early in the 2014 season, when he rushed for 194 yards and five touchdowns over the first three games, but a foot fracture sidelined him for five games. That opened the door for then-freshman Samaje Perine, who ran through it with authority.

If all goes well and Ford—who says he's in the clear academically now—becomes an Aggie, it'd be a match made in Heaven. 

Year	Car.	Rush Yds.	Rush TDs	Rec.	Rec. Yds.	Rec. TDs
2013	23	134	1	0	0	0
2014	71	392	5	11	140	1
Career	94	526	6	11	140	1

At 5'11", 202 pounds, Ford is a true all-purpose back. He has tremendous speed, sneaky power, can be a weapon as a receiver out of the backfield and has quick feet—particularly in traffic. If he plays in 2016, he'll instantly become part of a solid rotation in a system that's had time to evolve in College Station.

The Aggies will lose Tra Carson and iron man running back/defensive back Brandon Williams to graduation this year. That means James White—a 6'0", 218-pounder who will be a junior in 2016—will be the veteran of the running back corps in Aggieland.

White is much more of a power runner than Ford and can lean on defenses and open up those running lanes for Ford. The duo can essentially create a "thunder and lightning" situation in the Aggie backfield.

Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press

What's more, Sumlin realized that his offense was way too unbalanced last year (514 passing plays to 421 running plays) and brought in new offensive line coach Dave Christensen to bring a more downhill attack to College Station.

"It's not a dramatic change from what we were doing, but we are doing some things—without giving away any secrets—where we can run the ball not only when we want to run it, but when we need to," Sumlin said during the coaches teleconference in May. "That was a point of emphasis [this spring]."

Ford's agility in traffic and ability to turn two-yard gains into 10-yard gains will fit nicely into the more downhill attack.

Will Ford become a star in the Aggie offense?

Until we see the new scheme in action, it's hard to say. But he would give the staff a nice option opposite of White, and options are like gold to a bright offensive mind like Sumlin.

It didn't work out as planned for Ford at Oklahoma, but College Station would be a nice landing spot that could benefit both Ford and Texas A&M.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of cfbstats.com unless otherwise noted, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports' composite rankings.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and college football video analyst for Bleacher Report, as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on Sirius 93, XM 208.

Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.