Ford Will Bring Hard Worker, Good Teammate To Next Level

Jadon Ford RHP / RHP / Dakota, MI / 2025

MACOMB - The recruiting process is “definitely way harder” than Jadon Ford envisioned.

“I thought eventually coaches would come to you but you’ve got to come to them with emails and texts,” the Macomb Dakota junior explained. “Now that I’ve done that, I’m getting responses and feedbacks.”

Adding to the difficulty, the 16-year-old’s recruitment is for both baseball and football.

“The dream my whole life, since I was eight-years-old, was playing in college and MLB,”
 Ford reflected. “When I was young baseball was always first. I loved it more than football. But when I transferred from Algonic, mainly for sports, the atmosphere here with football is different. I love it. Now I love both equally.”

Could the 6-2 173-pounder consider being a two-sport athlete at the next level?

“Football or baseball, I’m open for anything,” noted Ford, a right-handed pitcher in baseball and quarterback in football. “I’m not leaning toward anything. It’s more about what the team’s vision is for me. I’d be willing to play both if the situation is right. The size of the school, where it’s located, how nice of a campus, how well they are performing, their vision for me would all play a part.”

For now, the 22nd-rated 2025 RHP in Michigan is just happy to be back and healthy.

“I broke my collarbone two times in football, the first game and last game,” pointed out Ford, who missed games two, three, four and 12 this past football campaign. “Now I’m perfect … 100 percent.”

Those mishaps come on the heels of recent injuries.

“I broke my nose in baseball last year and the year before broke my thumb in football,” Ford said. “It’s definitely not fun. It’s hard sitting out. You definitely want to get in there and play. Being injured really makes me miss it.”

It can also be a setback when it comes to recruitment, with the lone visit so far to Miami for football, though two other visits - to Dartmouth and Penn - were canceled. On the baseball side of things, the 57th-ranked junior in the state has “been talking to the Davenport pitching coach a little bit” and has plans to attend a pitching camp at Central Michigan the beginning of February.

“I’m looking for a college that believes in me and my capabilities,” Ford explained. “A college that doesn’t worry about my injuries, they’re freakish injuries, and that believe in my abilities.”

Adam Goodwin, Prep Baseball Michigan Director of Scouting, is a strong believer in Ford.

“Jadon is a versatile athlete who is a proven leader on and off the field and respected by his peers,” Goodwin said. “He combines a unique athleticism on the diamond as a two-way player. Coaches will like the fact he is a multi-sport athlete at one the largest high schools in the state at Macomb Dakota.”

Playing quarterback for a program that lost in the district finals in November (with Ford sidelined) is beneficial when it comes to baseball according to Ford.

“My arm is always going to be in shape,” noted Ford, who was a member of the Dakota baseball team that advanced to the state semifinals last season. “You need fast, quick thinking in both so your brain is trained year ’round. Plus, you’re in shape year ’round.”

The hope is that weight gain will bring improvement on the ball field in 2024.

“I think I’ll throw harder this year,” Ford explained. “I reached 87-88 last year and I wanted to gain weight to get to 90 this year.”

Camps and Prep Baseball showcases are in his near future along with playing baseball for Dakota.

“I just want to perform and help the team win in the state finals this year,” Ford said. “We came up short last year and don’t want it to happen again.

“As for recruiting, hopefully more schools will be talking to me. There’s no time frame, I’m just hoping for the best school I can get.”

And what will that school receive?

“Hard work and good environment, I’m a good teammate,” Ford noted. “I’ll bring positive energy to the team along with leadership.”

As for anybody not reaching out, Ford is of the belief it will be a blown opportunity.

“They’ll be missing a good, hard-working athlete that puts his team first,” concluded Ford, a 4.01 student considering a major in pre-med or business. “Someone who shows on and off the field what he can do with hard work in the classroom and on the baseball field.”