Danny Ford, former head football coach at Arkansas and Clemson, spends much of his time these days farming — an endeavor he describes as a hobby — in upstate South Carolina. He was among the first in the state to be approved to grow hemp.  

Ford, who won the National Championship in 1981 at Clemson, is now 26 years beyond his last season of coaching at Arkansas. He lives on a 174-acre farm a short drive from Clemson’s Memorial Stadium, and occasionally attends games, but for the most part he tailgates with friends at the stadium before games and heads home in time to watch the game on TV. 

But Ford, now 75, certainly keeps up with the evolving world of college football and its recent changes, including the transfer portal and NIL (name, image and likeness) which provides payments to players, and speculation about conference expansion. 

Ford, who was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2017, misses the personalities of players and his coaching staff, but he noted the game is changing and not necessarily for the better. He’s also wary of the incessant talk about Power 5 conference expansion. 

“Do I miss the NIL situation, being talked about on sports talk shows and the fact that you are only as good as what you did last Saturday? Not so much. I also wonder what it would be like to work in the pay system they have now. To get paid that kind of money to do something you love to do must be amazing. 

“I am concerned about the future of farming as well as the future of football. Unless you are one of the big boys with unlimited budgets, you don’t get anywhere. Ten years from now, football will be unrecognizable compared to what we knew. Even high school students from the big schools are getting the NIL now.” 

Ford likens college football to farmers: some schools have better opportunities than others while some have better support systems. Looking at the upcoming season, he expects Georgia to be dethroned as national champion. As for Clemson’s prospects, Ford says the team will have an inexperienced, but talented quarterback at the controls this year, but he has yet to lead the team. 

“I don’t think Georgia will go three (National Championships) in a row because they have the same quarterback problem that Clemson has. They have a great one, but he is going to have to learn how to lead.” 

Ford didn’t grow up on a farm, but always had an interest in farming. In fact, his farm was part of his coaching contract at Clemson. 

“I suggested they buy a farm and each year I stayed I would get so many acres,” he said. “I’m glad I did it.”