Boise State receiver was having big senior season. Now he’s out for year
Boise State football head coach Spencer Danielson confirmed Wednesday morning that redshirt senior wide receiver Ben Ford is out for the remainder of the season with a lower-leg injury.
Ford was injured in the first quarter of Boise State’s 56-31 victory over UNLV on Saturday after trying to catch a ball thrown over the middle of the field, where he was clobbered by two UNLV defenders.
“It breaks my heart for that young man. He’s a phenomenal kid, and he’s a great football player for our team,” Danielson said.
Ford, an Eagle High standout before joining Boise State in 2021, was enjoying his best season yet for the Broncos. He had a team-high five receiving touchdowns among his 21 receptions for 325 yards, which ranked second on the team.
Danielson wouldn’t elaborate further on Ford’s injury. He was holding his left knee when he first went down on the play; Ford suffered a torn ACL in 2022 in that same knee, forcing him to miss most of two seasons. He played a string of meaningful snaps for the Broncos in 2024, appearing in 11 games but catching just four passes.
“I would say (it took a) little longer than I expected, or obviously what I wanted,” Ford told the Idaho Statesman in August. “Everybody wants to come in and play, but obviously, everybody has their own path and handles adversity in different ways. ... It was a little bit of a tough journey there for a while.”
Danielson said Wednesday that he’s “really confident” Ford could earn an extra year of eligibility, but they still need to “work through all of that stuff.”
A medical redshirt can be applied only to a player who suffers a season-ending injury. However, that redshirt is typically granted only if a player is injured in the first half of the season or plays in fewer than 30% of games. Ford has played in all seven of Boise State’s 12 regular-season games this season.
“I really don’t believe his football career is over. I believe that he’s going to be able to battle back from this, but obviously that’s down the road,” Danielson said. “Right now, we’ve got to make sure that we surround him. We’ve got to make sure we love on him. We got to make sure he still feels a part of this.”
Ford’s injury likely will lead to even more targets for both Latrell Caples and Chris Marshall, who are tied for the team lead with 22 receptions apiece. It could also open the door for speedy sophomore Cam Bates, who’s been explosive in his limited action this season, with 181 total yards and two touchdowns.
Boise State at Nevada
- When: 8 p.m. Mountain time Friday
- Where: Mackay Stadium (30,000, turf)
- TV: CBS Sports Network (Rich Waltz, Robert Turbin)
- Radio: KBOI 670 AM/KTIK 93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
- Records: Boise State 5-2, 3-0 Mountain West; Nevada 1-6, 0-3
- Series: Boise State leads the series 32-14
- Betting line: Boise State by 21.5
- Weather: 66 degrees, partly cloudy, 7% chance of rain
This story was originally published October 22, 2025 at 3:00 PM.
