Pac-12 experience gives UCLA transfers J. Michael Sturdivant and Kyle Ford an edge
Spring football is about first impressions, as misleading as they might be. Incoming freshmen, transfers and reserves trying to climb the depth chart all want to dazzle coaches, who would like nothing more than to be dazzled.
Occasionally new players need no introduction.
Receivers J. Michael Sturdivant and Kyle Ford fall into that category. They transferred from Pac-12 schools that played UCLA late last season.
“It’s helpful when you have a better understanding of who they are and where they are from,” Bruins coach Chip Kelly said.
New UCLA defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn has been routinely praised by Bruin defenders this spring as he’s attempted to integrate new concepts.
Sturdivant, who had 65 receptions for 755 yards and seven touchdowns at Cal last season, has three years of eligibility remaining but can safely be called junior. His father shares his name — Michael Sturdivant — and the family decided to lead with a J rather than end with a Jr.
“We just moved it to the front to be a little different,” Sturdivant said.
The result is a nickname of J-Mike rather than, say, M-Stu. He likes that. UCLA coaches like that he’s a field-stretching speedster.
Sturdivant had five catches for 70 yards and a touchdown in Cal’s 35-28 loss to UCLA in the regular-season finale November 25. After Cal’s 4-8 season, quarterback Jack Plummer transferred to Louisville and Sturdivant headed for Westwood.
“We saw J-Mike in our last [regular-season] game last year, so we got a good chance to see him and get a feel for what type of receiver he was,” Kelly said. “Then when he became available through the transfer portal, we didn’t have to study a heck of a lot of tape because we’d studied his tape leading up to the game.”
The same is true of Ford, who found himself surrounded by Maseratis at USC after Lincoln Riley became coach a year ago and feasted on the transfer portal. Ford battled injuries through much of his four years with the Trojans, and somewhat shockingly moved crosstown for a better opportunity.
“We obviously knew who Kyle was because Kyle is a local kid from Orange Lutheran [High,]” Kelly said. “We had a better understanding of who he is as a player. That helped.”
Ford, a burly receiver at 6 feet 2, 220 pounds, suffered injuries at USC. He had 20 catches for 365 yards and two touchdowns in 2022 after posting similar numbers in 2021. Against UCLA in the Trojans’ 48-45 victory in November, he had three catches for 73 yards and a touchdown.
“I saw the way they used a couple guys on this team last year,” Ford said. “They put up a lot of points, including against where I was. So watching that firsthand, it was intriguing the way they threw the ball around a lot.”
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Ford, who has two years of eligibility remaining, is naturally assertive and already has assumed a leadership role. At practice Tuesday, he didn’t appreciate being held by more than one defensive back during a scrimmage. After a particularly egregious play, he followed the defense to the sideline and made his feelings known until a coach ushered him away.
“I think one thing I’m trying to bring to this program is a competitive juice, and I think that’s the way I’ve always been,” he said last week. “It’s the way I’ve always played the game and I think it makes everyone better. You know, there’s points where it goes overboard, but sometimes you need those points. It shows that people care.”
Ford and Sturdivant join a crowded group of receivers. Kam Brown, Titus Mokiao-Atimalala, Logan Loya and Josiah Norwood all had their moments last season. Yet it’s a function of the transfer portal that newcomers bring the most experience.
“We have a lot of youth at that position, so to get guys who have a lot of quality snaps at the Power 5 level is a really big deal,” Kelly said. “Both of those guys have been fantastic, really since January when they got here. Their work ethic during the offseason, they know how to train, they know what we are asking of them.
“Sometimes for a high school kid, this is all brand new and they come in wide-eyed and trying to figure it out because they’ve never been through it. [Ford and Sturdivant] had a decent understanding because they’ve been through it at another place.”
Freelance writer Anthony Gharib contributed to this story.
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