Terry Heffernan's track record at Virginia suggests Stanford's new OC can deliver on the receiving opportunities the running back is expecting
Stanford running back Micah Ford isn't one to set goals for himself. He believes in the effort that he puts in and wants that to speak for his performance, rather than whether or not he hit some arbitrary target.
Last week at the ACC Media Kickoff, he did mention one facet of his game that could look a little different in 2026.
"I definitely want to catch the ball out the backfield," Ford said. Then, with a smile growing on his face, added, "We'll get that situated for sure. Coach got something cookin'."
In 2025 under interim coach Frank Reich, Ford was the main running back for the Cardinal, and in nine games played he hauled in a total of 11 passes on 14 targets, good for 119 yards. That's an average of 13.2 yards per game, and 10.8 yards per catch. On the ground he was averaging 4.4 yards per carry and 71.4 yards per game.
After catching just three of the first six passes thrown to him last season, he caught every pass that went his way from Week 4 at Virginia onward.
Given that 560 of his 635 rushing yards came after contact, getting him out into the passing game and into the open would be another way to unleash Ford on opposing defenses.
This season Tavita Pritchard is the head coach, and he'll be looking to lay the foundation for his tenure for the program to build upon.
Where this gets interesting is that Offensive Coordinator Terry Heffernan is back on The Farm after a three-year hiatus with the Virginia Cavaliers. Virginia allowed just 18 sacks in 14 games with Heffernan serving as the team's offensive line coach. With the O-line being a problem area for the Cardinal for years now, his expertise and previous NFL experience could come in handy.
One way to mitigate any deficiencies on the line would be quick passes to the running back. With Heffernan knowing how to get the most out of the line and now being in charge of play-calling, this positions Stanford to execute that exact strategy.
Last season Virginia running back J'Mari Taylor ran 222 times for 1,062 yards and ranked fourth on the team in receptions with 43 catches for 253 yards.
Given Stanford's need to move the ball and some of the struggles the offensive line has had in recent seasons, it wouldn't be surprising to see Ford — one of the Cardinal's best offensive weapons — to be used in a variety of ways.
Ford's confidence that his role will look a little bit different in 2026 seems well-placed. Heffernan built up Virginia's O-line, and used it to help orchestrate an offense that leveraged Taylor as a pass-catching threat. With Stanford still looking to make the climb toward contention, finding different ways to get Ford the ball would be one way to move the chains.
