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Jackson Ford
Photo by: Sideline Photos, LLC
Building Culture: Jackson Ford '25
November 21, 2024 | Football
By Craig Sachson
PrincetonTigersFootball.com
There was a time when Jackson Ford never imagined himself running on the field for Senior Day. There was also a time when Ford feared he would not be able to.
The journey to Senior Day was longer than Ford could ever have imagined when he committed to Princeton from his hometown of Chandler, Ariz. He endured a global pandemic, played behind two of the league's best linebackers of the decade, and fought through injuries. But his name will be called Saturday, and Ford will make that run with his head held high and a knowledge that the culture of Princeton Football remains as strong as ever.
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• • •
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A culture of teamwork and competitiveness has always mattered to Ford. Truthfully, it's all he has ever known. The second of four brothers, all relatively close in age, he grew up competing every moment he could.
"Football games, running around, damaging things we weren't supposed to … it was chaos, but it was fun," Ford said. "We competed in everything. It shaped who I am today, and my approach to any sort of competition."
His older brother Braden was the first in the family to be introduced to football, though Jackson, Brock and Maddox would all follow suit. Braden's upperclassman years at Perry started a program turnaround that moved into full gear when his younger brother arrived. Jackson captained the school to a pair of state championship games while earning all-region honors and the Multi-Sport Scholar Athlete of the Year Award at his school.
Most importantly, he felt like the program had a culture that would sustain it for years to come.
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• • •
 Braden did more than impact Jackson's high school team. A stellar athlete in his own right, the oldest Ford was recruited by several programs, including Ivy League teams, before injury cost him his senior season. Simply watching his older brother go through the process made it feel possible. When the individual honors came for Jackson as a junior, it went from possible to real.
While Ford didn't limit himself to a single area or league in the recruiting process, he felt something in the relationships he built with Princeton coaches during a summer camp. When he realized the Tiger coaches felt the same about him — and he looked at the opportunity Princeton provided both in the classroom and on the field — he knew he had found a home.
It turns out, he also wouldn't leave home, at least at the start. The COVID pandemic made Ford a remote student when he started his Princeton career. The missed 2020 season caused rosters to be loaded with players from five different classes immediately afterwards, which sometimes left depth charts feeling like mountains to be scaled.
Young inside linebackers might as well have stared at Mount Everest.
Liam Johnson and Ozzie Nicholas dominated the position and opposing Ivy League offenses the next two seasons, one of which ended with an Ivy League championship (2021). It could have been a disheartening start for Ford, who found ways to make an impact on special teams, but he chose a different view.
"I looked at it like it was a privilege to play under those guys," he said. "Not everyone has players like that in the room who can inspire them. They remain two of the most inspiring people I've been around. They improved my approach to practice, so when it would be my time, I would be ready. It also made me want to do for underclassmen what they did for me."
Ford took every lesson learned throughout his early years at Princeton and put them to use this season. He earned significant rotation time following a strong preseason and made at least five tackles in three of Princeton's first five games, including an eight-stop effort in the win over Howard.
"It's a surreal feeling," Ford remembers. "My entire football career has led me to this year. I remind myself that when I approach each game that I've done the work. I don't want to be satisfied; I want to keep doing more."
The only thing that kept him from doing more was an injury he suffered at Harvard. It wasn't necessarily a season-ending injury, but it was one that could have lasted a couple weeks or a couple months. The waiting game is never fun, but it was especially challenging in the moment.
"It was extremely frustrating," Ford said. "The clock is ticking and the games are running out for me. It's brutal, but people go through that all the time. I'm no different, so I'm going to do what it takes to get back on the field. I did it for me, and I did it for my team."
While getting back on the field for himself mattered — and he did so last weekend at Yale — he always has his teammates in mind. While the results of this season aren't what he hoped, Ford feels pride that the locker room remains strong.
"It's a culture sport," he said. "If you have guys who can look each other in the eye and say that things are tough but we'll get through it, it helps so much. It's about holding each other accountable, and having respect for each other."
Ford will enter his final game with 29 career tackles, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble in the win over Brown. His teammates and coaches know the work he has put into his game, and they are thrilled he has been able to show it to others.
"Jackson has been a physical inside linebacker for us," head coach Bob Surace said. "He did a terrific job in his role prior to this year, especially on special teams. He has fought through some injuries this fall but I'm so happy he was able to get back on the field to finish his career."
He and his Class of 2025 teammates will take Powers Field one final time Saturday at 1 pm for a showdown with Penn. Ford has a simple expectation for himself and the team for the weekend, and it shouldn't surprise anybody that it isn't simply about the final score.
"I once felt like [Senior Day] was forever in the future, like it would never happen when I was a freshman," Ford said. "You only get one of them, and I'm very excited. Moreso than a win, it's about giving it everything you have. Walking off the field knowing you did everything you could, that's always been my goal."
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PrincetonTigersFootball.com
There was a time when Jackson Ford never imagined himself running on the field for Senior Day. There was also a time when Ford feared he would not be able to.
The journey to Senior Day was longer than Ford could ever have imagined when he committed to Princeton from his hometown of Chandler, Ariz. He endured a global pandemic, played behind two of the league's best linebackers of the decade, and fought through injuries. But his name will be called Saturday, and Ford will make that run with his head held high and a knowledge that the culture of Princeton Football remains as strong as ever.
Â
• • •
Â
A culture of teamwork and competitiveness has always mattered to Ford. Truthfully, it's all he has ever known. The second of four brothers, all relatively close in age, he grew up competing every moment he could.
"Football games, running around, damaging things we weren't supposed to … it was chaos, but it was fun," Ford said. "We competed in everything. It shaped who I am today, and my approach to any sort of competition."
His older brother Braden was the first in the family to be introduced to football, though Jackson, Brock and Maddox would all follow suit. Braden's upperclassman years at Perry started a program turnaround that moved into full gear when his younger brother arrived. Jackson captained the school to a pair of state championship games while earning all-region honors and the Multi-Sport Scholar Athlete of the Year Award at his school.
Most importantly, he felt like the program had a culture that would sustain it for years to come.
Â
• • •
 Braden did more than impact Jackson's high school team. A stellar athlete in his own right, the oldest Ford was recruited by several programs, including Ivy League teams, before injury cost him his senior season. Simply watching his older brother go through the process made it feel possible. When the individual honors came for Jackson as a junior, it went from possible to real.
While Ford didn't limit himself to a single area or league in the recruiting process, he felt something in the relationships he built with Princeton coaches during a summer camp. When he realized the Tiger coaches felt the same about him — and he looked at the opportunity Princeton provided both in the classroom and on the field — he knew he had found a home.
It turns out, he also wouldn't leave home, at least at the start. The COVID pandemic made Ford a remote student when he started his Princeton career. The missed 2020 season caused rosters to be loaded with players from five different classes immediately afterwards, which sometimes left depth charts feeling like mountains to be scaled.
Young inside linebackers might as well have stared at Mount Everest.
Liam Johnson and Ozzie Nicholas dominated the position and opposing Ivy League offenses the next two seasons, one of which ended with an Ivy League championship (2021). It could have been a disheartening start for Ford, who found ways to make an impact on special teams, but he chose a different view.
"I looked at it like it was a privilege to play under those guys," he said. "Not everyone has players like that in the room who can inspire them. They remain two of the most inspiring people I've been around. They improved my approach to practice, so when it would be my time, I would be ready. It also made me want to do for underclassmen what they did for me."
Ford took every lesson learned throughout his early years at Princeton and put them to use this season. He earned significant rotation time following a strong preseason and made at least five tackles in three of Princeton's first five games, including an eight-stop effort in the win over Howard.
"It's a surreal feeling," Ford remembers. "My entire football career has led me to this year. I remind myself that when I approach each game that I've done the work. I don't want to be satisfied; I want to keep doing more."
The only thing that kept him from doing more was an injury he suffered at Harvard. It wasn't necessarily a season-ending injury, but it was one that could have lasted a couple weeks or a couple months. The waiting game is never fun, but it was especially challenging in the moment.
"It was extremely frustrating," Ford said. "The clock is ticking and the games are running out for me. It's brutal, but people go through that all the time. I'm no different, so I'm going to do what it takes to get back on the field. I did it for me, and I did it for my team."
While getting back on the field for himself mattered — and he did so last weekend at Yale — he always has his teammates in mind. While the results of this season aren't what he hoped, Ford feels pride that the locker room remains strong.
"It's a culture sport," he said. "If you have guys who can look each other in the eye and say that things are tough but we'll get through it, it helps so much. It's about holding each other accountable, and having respect for each other."
Ford will enter his final game with 29 career tackles, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble in the win over Brown. His teammates and coaches know the work he has put into his game, and they are thrilled he has been able to show it to others.
"Jackson has been a physical inside linebacker for us," head coach Bob Surace said. "He did a terrific job in his role prior to this year, especially on special teams. He has fought through some injuries this fall but I'm so happy he was able to get back on the field to finish his career."
He and his Class of 2025 teammates will take Powers Field one final time Saturday at 1 pm for a showdown with Penn. Ford has a simple expectation for himself and the team for the weekend, and it shouldn't surprise anybody that it isn't simply about the final score.
"I once felt like [Senior Day] was forever in the future, like it would never happen when I was a freshman," Ford said. "You only get one of them, and I'm very excited. Moreso than a win, it's about giving it everything you have. Walking off the field knowing you did everything you could, that's always been my goal."
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Players Mentioned
Inside Training Camp: Princeton Football 2025
Thursday, September 04
Trench Talk - Episode 1: Jason Gallucci
Wednesday, September 03
The Huddle - Episode 6: John Mack
Friday, November 22
The Huddle - Episode 5: Mike Mendenhall
Tuesday, November 05