In and of itself, sticking up for your old friend is a great move. But sticking by him even when others doubt him? That’s amazing! The maneuver made by Jaxson Dart recently is an example of this. In case you didn’t know, Jaxson Dart and Kyle Ford have a connection because they were colleagues on the USC Trojans football for 2021 season. At that time, Dart and Ford worked together on the field, most notably when they connected for a 45-yard touchdown pass against the Golden Bears. At the moment, however, Jaxson plays for the Rebels, and Kyle continues his adventure with Lincoln Riley’s USC. But their connection appears to be ongoing as Jaxson smacks the head coach of the USC Trojans for standing up for Kyle Ford. Interesting!

We all know, the USC Trojans recently defeated Texas A&M in the Las Vegas Bowl after an incredible 17-point comeback. In that thrilling contest, Ford’s walk-off touchdown was the Hollywood conclusion to a college career that frequently went awry. And following the $2 M quarterback, Jaxson Dart posted an Instagram story that seems to be a jab at Lincoln Riley’s error. Where the narrative stated, “If y’all only knew!! Proud of you brotha,” with a love symbol. It only demonstrates Jaxson’s faith in his former teammate.

There is still a mystery, though: what was Lincoln Riley’s mistake? Well, when Lincoln joined USC in 2021, it was Ford’s third year there, and he was in comparatively good health in comparison to his 2019 and 2020 seasons. However, the head coach of the first season never trusted Ford to start as wide receiver. And as a result, he was never able to contribute significantly to the offense.

But now, after Kyle Ford leads USC to an incredible bowl game victory, Riley may realize the harsh hitting of Jaxson to be fairly justifiable in light of all of these factors.

However, you know, Ford’s 2024 season ended like a novel, despite being an up-and-down roller coaster. The Trojans, trailing 3 with little over a minute left, had a chance to either make a field goal to force overtime or win the game in the closing seconds. Then, when Kyle Ford’s line came up, he made a stunning crossing pass into the end zone and caught the game-changing reception. Impressive! And he pulled it off in the last 10 seconds of his final college game! OptaStats says he’s the first FBS player ever to do that. However, before him, there was Iowa’s Warren Holloway, who do the same in the Capital One Bowl on January 1, 2005.

It is now a player in the annals of college football and appears to be a real Trojan. Still, it is unclear why Lincoln did not think Kyle Ford would be a good starting wide receiver. Is his performance lacking in quality? You might find the precise answer by taking a look at his prior journeys.

Was Kyle Ford a bad starting WR?

Kyle Ford, an eagerly awaited 5-star talent from Orange Lutheran, committed to USC in 2019. Regretfully, a season-ending knee injury he suffered in his senior year delayed the start of his collegiate career. Ford was able to use his red-shirt year and prepare for a more important role in 2020, even though he only appeared in four games as a freshman.

Again, disaster struck when he suffered a damaged ligament in his knee, which kept him out of action for the entire 2020 season. And despite being comparatively healthy in 2021 and 2022, he caught 20 passes for 365 yards and two touchdowns at the end of the 2022 season. After that, unexpectedly, he transferred to UCLA, a rival school across town, in 2023. During his frustrating season with the Bruins, he caught 22 passes for 236 yards and one touchdown. Then, he returned to USC at the end of the season for his last year of eligibility. And the rest is history.

Considering all of this, it appears that Lincoln’s mistake in not trusting Ford as a starting wide receiver was not entirely his fault; although Ford was a good performer, his luck and rash decision-making style prevented him from being a starting wide receiver. Let’s now see where Kyle gets selected for his NFL career.