Pitt safety Paris Ford opts out of remainder of college season

Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi confirmed on Monday that star safety Paris Ford is opting out of the remainder of the college football season. 

Per ESPN's Adam Rittenberg and John McGonigal of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, concerns about the worsening COVID-19 pandemic played a role in the All-American choosing to end his campaign after seven games, all of which he started. 

Pittsburgh sits at 3-4 overall. 

Ford leads the Panthers with three interceptions, and, according to ESPN stats, he's second on the team with 41 tackles. The redshirt junior who contemplated entering the 2020 NFL Draft before he returned to Pitt tallied three interceptions last season en route to earning third-team All-American honors. 

In a mock draft updated on Halloween, Josh Edwards of CBS Sports projected Ford will be a first-round selection. Walter Football also has Ford listed as a first-round pick, and Charlie Campbell of that website added: 

"The first thing that jumps about Ford is how he is always around the ball, and the primary reason for that is his instincts. Ford has excellent anticipation and is very fast at reading his keys. That leads to him disrupting plays and flying around the field to get to the ball-carrier. Ford is a superb run defender who can come downhill or fly to the perimeter to make tackles. Generally, Ford does a nice job of getting ball-carriers to the ground, and he shows the ability to take their legs out from underneath them.

"In pass coverage, Ford is excellent in zone. He covers a ton of ground and uses his instincts to disrupt passing lanes. Ford does a nice job of breaking up contested catches by going for the ball rather than taking out the receiver. He shows impressive ball skills for a physical safety and is a threat to create turnovers."