Syracuse basketball has shown interest in Arkansas State transfer guard Derrian Ford

Guard Derrian Ford, a junior at Arkansas State who is in the transfer portal, has received some level of interest from a variety of college programs, including Syracuse basketball, according to a post on X from The Portal Report.

Other teams that have shown an interest in the 6-foot-3, 212-pound Ford include USC, Texas A&M, Missouri, Ole Miss and Memphis, among others.

A former four-star prep recruit who hails from Magnolia, Ark., Ford said in an X post on March 25 that he would enter the transfer portal, which officially opened on March 24 and will run through April 22.

His head coach at Arkansas State, Bryan Hodgson, recently took the same position at South Florida.

Arkansas State transfer guard Derrian Ford has heard from schools such as Syracuse basketball.

Ford began his collegiate career at Southeastern Conference squad Arkansas before moving to Sun Belt Conference member Arkansas State, which in the most recent term went 25-11 overall and reached the NIT's second round.

As a junior in 2024-25 for Arkansas State, per ESPN statistics, Ford averaged 21.0 minutes, 8.0 points and 3.4 rebounds per contest while making 37.8 percent from the field, 32.1 percent from beyond the arc and 82.8 percent from the free-throw line.

Ford was a standout in the 2022 recruiting class for Magnolia High School in Arkansas, with numerous recruiting services rating him as four stars, in the top 80 overall, the top 15 at combo guard and within the top three in Arkansas. He was a two-time Gatorade player of the year in Arkansas.

Beyond Ford, other college transfers who have heard from the Orange, according to reports and recruiting analysts, include Clemson freshman guard Del Jones, Robert Morris junior guard/forward Amarion Dickerson, North Dakota junior guard Treysen Eaglestaff, North Dakota State senior guard Jacari White and Drexel junior guard Kobe Magee.

What level of mutual interest exists between the 'Cuse coaching staff and these college transfers is something I'll continue to monitor, as the Orange has numerous scholarships available for the 2025-26 campaign.

Also in recent days, UCLA transfer big man William Kyle III, a junior, announced that he was committing to Syracuse basketball.

In 2024-25, the 'Cuse had 12 scholarship players. Five exhausted their eligibility, four are hitting the portal, and at least two are returning. Syracuse basketball's 2025 class at the prep level features four signees.