Ford Is Driven No Matter What Position He’s At

Anyone who has trouble keeping track of No. 25 for USC has good reason: Since last season, Lonnie Ford has gone from tight end to linebacker to defensive end.

It has been a good move--or a good couple of moves, actually.

Ford, a sophomore, figures to start at defensive end in USC’s opener Sept. 4 against Hawaii, with Kori Dickerson at the other end. Shamsud-Din Abdul-Shaheed, a regular starter, is suspended for the game for academic reasons, and the three players probably will share the two end positions when he returns.

As a tight end, Ford scored a touchdown last season against Washington State, but he was happy to change positions.

“I wasn’t really happy on offense,” said Ford, who played defensive end and tight end at Morse High in San Diego. “I didn’t really want to play offense, but that was what the team needed.”

The move to linebacker last spring was a brief one, because when Sultan Abdul-Malik moved from defensive end to linebacker, the coaches decided Ford was needed at defensive end.

“He’s been excellent,” assistant Ed Orgeron said. “Very explosive and aggressive, the type of athlete we need at defensive end.”

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The Trojans will leave UC Irvine and conduct a closed scrimmage in Los Angeles today.

“I think the No. 1 focus is getting the defense more time playing together, particularly the No. 1 defense,” Coach Paul Hackett said.

“I want them working together against the No. 1 and No. 2 offenses, and I’ve told [offensive coordinator] Hue Jackson I want to see them against multiple formations.”

The search for a No. 2 tailback to replace Petros Papadakis also continues, with Jabari Jackson and Frank Strong likely to get good looks after Sultan McCullough carried 29 times in the last scrimmage. Malaefou MacKenzie will probably be held out because of a sore hamstring.

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An answer on whether junior college receiver Craig Mitchell will join the team is expected shortly. “It’s when and if,” Hackett said. Mitchell’s transfer eligibility has not yet been certified. . . . Freshman linebacker Omar Nazel has moved to defensive end, where, Hackett said, “He’ll make an immediate contribution.” . . . On his first day in pads, late-arriving linebacker Markus Steele continued to impress. “All that hype was pretty accurate,” Hackett said.