Sep 13, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal running back Micah Ford (20) carries the ball against the Boston College Eagles during the fourth quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

With Cole Tabb transferring out to Cincinnati, Stanford running back Micah Ford becomes the clear number one back on The Farm. He already was that, but Tabb leaving for the Bearcats opens the door for Stanford to rely on Ford even more than before. Last season, Ford rushed for 643 yards and four touchdowns on 145 carries for an average of 4.4 yards per carry. He also had 11 receptions for 119 yards. After Stanford didn’t have a single rushing touchdown from their running backs in 2024, the Cardinal were finally able to trust their running backs to find the end zone and Ford was a big reason why.

Ford had three 100+ yard rushing games last season, two of which were 150+ yard games. In their road loss at Hawaii (20-23), Ford rushed for 113 yards and one touchdown on 26 carries. In their 30-20 home win over Boston College, Ford went off for a career-high 157 yards and one touchdown on 17 carries. In their 31-10 victory over Cal to reclaim The Axe, Ford rushed for 150 yards and one touchdown on 29 carries. Ford became the first Stanford player to rush for 150+ yards in a game since Cameron Scarlett rushed for 151 yards in a 23-13 victory over Washington in 2019.

If you average out Ford’s top three games last season, that’s 140 yards per game. In order to have a 1,000 rushing yard season, Ford would need to average 83.3+ yards per game. Ford eclipsed 83 yards just three times last season, the three 100+ yard games that he had.

What this means for Ford is he needs to figure out how to get more consistent. His top games were excellent. He looked like an elite back when he was in peak form. He just wasn’t able to sustain it with more regularity.

With Tabb gone, Ford is going to get the chance to prove that he can be a reliable running back that can bring it week in, week out. If he is able to stay healthy and get the help he needs from the offensive line, I think there’s a good chance Ford can rush for 1000 yards in 2026. He’s going to have the touches and he has the physical tools to make it happen. If he can get that done, that would be a huge boon to the Cardinal offense and take a lot of pressure off the passing game.

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