Newton defensive back Jay Ford signed his national letter of intent on Feb. 7’s National Signing Day.

Ford’s signing cemented his move to Alabama A&M (AAMU) in the fall to play college football.

Following the signing, Ford discussed his emotions and his outlook on the day.

“It feels really good to know that my work has paid off throughout all these years and to be signing — it’s just a blessing,” Ford said.

With ties to the state of Alabama, the decision to go that route was an easy one for the senior.

 “I’m originally from Alabama so going back home after high school was already on my mind,” Ford said. “Getting the AAMU offer was a no brainer so it made it easy to decide 

The thought of going to a HBCU, such as Alabama A&M, is something Ford has been thinking about long before he stepped into Newton High School.

“I’ve always wanted to go to an HBCU,” Ford said. “Since I was in middle school, I’ve been looking forward to going [to] AAMU, it was just a blessing to get the offer.”

With parents living in Georgia and Alabama, Ford referenced how the move to Huntsville, Alabama allows him the opportunity to be much closer to family.

Ford spent most of his time on the Newton football team at defensive back. Along with his work on the gridiron, Ford also plays for Newton’s baseball team.

Looking back on his Newton career, being the first Rams team to ever beat Grayson tops the list of Ford’s favorite moments.

“My favorite moment at Newton has to be the Grayson game 1,000 percent,” Ford said. “The way we came back as a team was just outstanding. That game will most definitely be talked about for a couple years from now for sure.”