Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 0-50@ Texas A&M | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 4 tackles |
| Wk 2 | W 48-14vs Lindenwood | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Total | 7 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 |
#29
Christian Ford
Junior safety on Missouri State's 2026 roster.
6′0″ · 180 lb · McKinney, TX · McKinney High
CFB Index 38 · #383 of 544 safetiesMedium confidenceReturning to Missouri State for 2026
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
Recruiting
3★
S recruit
No. 674 nationally · Signed with Arkansas
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
3 safety on Missouri State's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Arkansas in 2023.
- Transferred from Arkansas to Missouri State in 2025.
Christian Ford
Moves between deep coverage and the slot. Two seasons at Missouri State, two different head coaches: Nick Petrino and Casey Woods. One game to point at: 4 tackles against Texas A&M — Week 1, 2026.
7 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
2023
- Signed with Arkansas3-star out of McKinney
202512 games
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
Missouri State
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2025–2026
2 coaches2025
Nick Petrino
Missouri State
2026era →
Casey Woods
Missouri State
Coaching transition mid-career: Nick Petrino → Casey Woods. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2025Missouri State7-6HC: Nick Petrino · Balanced
2026Missouri State1-1HC: Casey Woods · Run-heavy, slow tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Medium confidence
Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 2 games: 3.5 TKL/g, 0.0 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.5 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Casey Woods
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Part-time starter
Tackle volume for the position in part-time-starter range.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Index Score
38 · #383 of 544 safeties
Three-star recruit. Now #383 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Conference USA
Based on 2025: #17 of 25 Conference USA Ss
How the All-Conference USA estimate is computed
22% estimated, 95% confidence interval 19–25%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Missouri State | 7 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Missouri State | 47 | 36 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3 | -- | -- |
| Career | 54 | 42 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4 | -- | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 48–14
vs Lindenwood
3 TOT · 3 SOLO · 1 PD
Dominant 34-point win at home against Lindenwood.
With I. Myers — 24 rush yds (1 car) · 1 TD · S. Locklear — 258 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · 6 rush yds (4 car)
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Missouri State
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Safety · Missouri State
Returning around him
- Transfer portal: +8 net (19 in / 11 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Missouri State · Last season: 7-6 · Talent rank #119 · 2026 recruiting class #131
DNA match
Player DNA
Hybrid Nickel
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
S
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Carl Fauntroy Jr.’s 2024 season.
Matches Carl on
Tackle volume
Class year
TFL rate
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a freshman, his production profile tracks closest to Bydarrius Knighten's freshman season at Auburn (2021).
84%match
Matches Bydarrius on
Weight
Tackle volume
TFL rate
Player DNA
Players who play like Christian Ford
Background
Honors MSU Athletic Director's Honor Roll: Fall 2025 Missouri State 2025: Played in all 13 games (862 snaps) and started the final 12 contests of the season ... Finished 6th on the club with 52 total tackles, including 39 solos, with 3 pass breakups, a forced fumble and a tackle for loss ... Logg...
The secondary · Missouri State
- #9Dylan Dixson50 tackles · 2025
- #29Christian Ford47 tackles · 2025
- #2Antonio Smith12 tackles · 2025
- #16J.J. O'Neal12 tackles · 2025
- #12Joel Boamah8 tackles · 2025
16 more on the roster · Missouri State team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology