O-lineman looking to add offer from Hogs

NWA Media/Michael Woods --04/03/2014-- w @NWAMICHAELW...University of Arkansas coach Bret Bielema watches his team get warmed up during Thursday afternoons practice in Fayetteville.

Offensive lineman Dalton Ford plans to attend Arkansas’ camp in June with hopes of earning a scholarship offer from the Hogs.

Ford, 6-4, 295 pounds of Webb City, Mo, has scholarship offers from Illinois and Syracuse and lists his favorites. Of the schools showing interest and have not offered, he has the Razorbacks as his number one school. Video highlights CLICK HERE

“They’re from the SEC and coach (Bret) Bielema is going to turn the program around,” Ford said. “He's a very good coach and I think he can do it. They’re close, it would be very convenient for all of my family to come down and watch if I were to go down there.”

In addition to Arkansas, Ford plans to attend camps at Missouri and Kansas State. He said he and Hog offensive line graduate assistant Eric Mateos have been direct messaging one another on Twitter.

A former teammate at Webb City, tight end Kohl Slaughter walked on at Arkansas in 2013.

“He said coach Bielema is a very good coach,” Ford said. “For some reason, I have that confidence he will turn the program around.”

Ford, who has a 355 pound bench press, said run blocking is his strength but his pass protection skills are improving.

“We’re a Veer team and we run right at you,” Ford said. “I’ve grown up in that offense. Myself, I personally think I’m really good at run blocking. I’ve been working on my pass blocking quite a bit these last two years knowing in college I’ll have to be able to pass block.”

Ford has a 3.07 grade point average and undecided on his major.

“If I like the school and the facilities are good, the next step for me is academics and a loyal coaching staff,” Ford said. “I want to be able to go to a college that has a coaching staff that’s going to be with me for my four to five years. I don’t want to get there and the coaching staff gets fired and goes elsewhere.”