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Luke Ford, Illinois TE, reveals plans for 2023 season
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Luke Ford’s time at Illinois has come to a close. The veteran Illini tight end announced Tuesday that he is entering the 2023 NFL Draft.
Ford shared the news on his Twitter account.
I’d like to thank Illini nation, my Coaches, my teammates and most of all my family. It is now time for me to transition into the next chapter of my life and I am officially declaring for the NFL! pic.twitter.com/kWW7gJ8YTH
— Luke Ford (@lukeford82) December 21, 2022
Illinois considered Ford a senior in 2022 after applying the COVID-19 waiver to his 2020 junior season. Ford did not play a game in 2019 after the NCAA denied his waiver from Georgia. Illinois considered Ford a sophomore in 2019 and a junior in 2020. Applying a redshirt to 2019, though, he could be considered a redshirt sophomore in 2020 and ’21 and a redshirt junior in 2022, leaving the possibility of a sixth-year redshirt senior season in 2023.
In 3 seasons at Illinois, Ford played in 32 games. He logged 27 catches for 217 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Ford’s most productive season was 2021 when he had 15 receptions for 114 yards and 2 TDs. This season, Ford caught 10 passes for 88 yards.
A former Florida beat reporter, Andrew writes for the Saturday Tradition News Desk.