Eagle QB, Boise State signee hauls in another award as Idaho’s best football player
Eagle High senior quarterback Ben Ford was named the 2020 Gatorade Idaho Football Player of the Year on Thursday, earning the award for the state’s best player regardless of classification.
The Boise State signee racked up 2,033 total yards and 26 TDs in eight games last fall for the Mustangs. That included 1,056 rushing yards at 11.5 yards per carry and 12 TDs, as well as 977 passing yards with 14 TDs and three interceptions.
Ford was also voted the 5A All-Idaho Football Player of the Year by the state’s coaches
“Ben Ford is the most dynamic athlete I’ve seen in a long time,” Rigby coach Armando Gonzalez said in a news release. “Not only is he lightning fast, but he’s tough and plays fearless. The kid can take over a game in the blink of an eye.”
Ford (5-11, 190 pounds) will switch to receiver at Boise State. He’ll take a grayshirt semester this fall and join the team in January of 2022 before becoming a true freshman in the fall of 2022, the Idaho Statesman previously reported.
Ford also had offers to play Division I baseball, originally committing to Washington last year before switching to football in February.
Other recent Gatorade players of the year are Borah’s Austin Bolt (2019), Declo’s Keegan Duncan (2018), Highland’s Tommy Togiai (2017) and Coeur d’Alene’s Colson Yankoff (2016).
Ford is the first all-class player of the year from Eagle since quarterback Taylor Kelly in 2009.
