MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — If there was one word to use for WVU sophomore wide receiver Bryce Ford-Wheaton’s offseason, it would be “change.”
The first, and most obvious, is the addition of Ford to his last name, and there is special meaning many WVU fans will appreciate. Ford-Wheaton’s grandfather Garrett Ford Sr. was a running back for the Mountaineers from 1965-67, tallying 2,167 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns in three seasons, eventually being inducted into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.
Ford Sr.’s son, Garrett Ford Jr. — Ford-Wheaton’s uncle — played running back for the Mountaineers from 1989-92, finishing his four-year career with 1,554 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Ford-Wheaton wanted to make the name change to honor the legacy of his maternal family.
He will also be the first player in WVU football history to wear No. 0, changing from No. 83 he wore as a true freshman and redshirt freshman the last two years. The NCAA allowed No. 0 to be worn this offseason after ruling players cannot wear the same number on the same side of the ball (offense or defense). With over 100 players on most college football rosters, duplicates have to exist.
If you ask the WVU coaches, though, the biggest difference between 2019 and 2020 for Ford-Wheaton is confidence. With the initial depth chart released Monday, one of the only small surprises was Ford-Wheaton getting the nod over Sean Ryan at outside receiver. According to head coach Neal Brown, it’s a deserved distinction.
“He’s got talent, he’s got the size, he’s got the speed, he’s just got to put it together, and he’s a little bit further ahead than I thought he would be,” Brown said earlier in camp.
At 6-foot-3 and 218 pounds, the physical tools were apparent, but Ford-Wheaton struggled to put the pieces together last season, despite having a few important moments. He finished with 12 catches for 201 yards and two touchdowns, including a critical go-ahead score in the fourth quarter against Kansas State.
Through fall camp, Ford-Wheaton’s taken that next step and bought into what new wide receivers coach and offensive coordinator Gerad Parker was teaching.
“We’re going to put Bryce out there first because he’s earned it,” Parker said this week. “He’s been highly productive. Explosive-play wise, he’s been off the charts and has pushed the ball vertically down the field. As I’ve spoke very openly to him [and I’ll say now], he’s started to develop real confidence because he’s realized what it takes to get real results on and off the field, which lies first in dealing with the truth and then putting in the work.
“I think he’s done that and ignored things about what he has expectations for for himself, and just realized he needs to put in a certain level of work. When he does that, he’ll get results later. He’s been very productive, he’s grown, he’s still got plenty of growth to do.”
Parker continued to say Ford-Wheaton has made mistakes, but seems to have put those to bed and is continuing to play well now into game week for Saturday’s Eastern Kentucky game.
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