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The #FreeLukeFord Movement is taking off

He needs to be free.

By Stephen Cohn
@lukeredx97

Here we are.

In late April.

And Luke Ford still isn't eligible to play tight end for Illinois in the 2019 season.

Ford, who originally spurned his home-state flagship school for Georgia in 2017, transferred to Illinois back in early January.

The Carterville, Illinois, native — and once four-star recruit — barely hit the field in Athens, leading Ford to announce his intent to transfer to Champaign.

Of course, typically when you transfer and you haven’t graduated yet, you need to sit out a year. Unless you apply for a waiver, which Illinois did, claiming likely that due to his grandparents’ deteriorating health, playing at Illinois will allow Ford to be closer to his family and have them be a part of his collegiate career.

Pretty solid reasoning. So he shouldn’t have an issue.

But he still isn't eligible, which isn’t right.

And #IlliniNation is trying to get the NCAA’s attention, starting with Illini Barstool on Wednesday.

Even Georgia Twitter is helping out.

Here’s some other notable accounts tweeting #FreeLukeFord.

It’s even trending!

Get the NCAA’s attention so we can #FreeLukeFord.

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