No player has ever led Auburn in tackles over three straight seasons. But senior defensive back Johnathan “Rudy” Ford has a really good chance to become the first.

Ford made 93 tackles in 2014 and had 118 stops last season, the most in a season by an Auburn player since Dontarrious Thomas in 2001. He’s been great at bringing opponents down, and those tackles have led to a few turnovers as Ford has intercepted five passes — with a pick-six to his credit — while also forcing three fumbles over the last two years.

Believe it or not, before Ford became Auburn’s most prolific player at making hits, he started his football career taking them as a running back from New Hope (Ala.) High. After Ford rushed for 1,669 yards and 27 TDs as a senior, Rivals.com ranked him the top running back prospect in Alabama.

Despite moving from running back to cornerback during fall camp in his freshman year on The Plains, Ford still carried the ball 6 times for 73 yards and a touchdown. When he wasn’t running the ball, Ford made five tackles while appearing in 14 games for the Tigers as they fell a victory short of winning the BCS national championship.

The following season, Ford completed his transition to full-time defensive back as he started all 13 games at safety in 2014. In addition to leading Auburn with 93 tackles, Ford also finished third on the team with three interceptions, including one at Alabama.

As Auburn’s starter at the nickel position last year, Ford recorded seven games with at least 10 tackles. Ford, who also took snaps at safety, had 14 stops against San Jose State, Kentucky and Ole Miss.

Dating back to 1976, 10 players have led Auburn in tackles in back-to-back years, according to lindysports.com. In addition to Ford, Freddie Smith (1976-77), Gregg Carr (1982-83), Kurt Crain (1986-87), Quentin Riggins (1988-89), Takeo Spikes (1996-97), Alex Lincoln (1999-2000), Will Herring (2005-06), Josh Bynes (2009-10) and Daren Bates (2011-12) all led the Tigers in stops in consecutive seasons, but no AU player has done it in three straight.

However, if Ford does become the first Tiger to accomplish the feat, bigger rewards might be in store for him. Earlier this month, he and teammate Carl Lawson landed on the Chuck Bednarik Award watch list. The award is given to the top defensive player in college football, so before having played a down in 2016, Ford is already in some pretty lofty company.

As good as Ford has been the last two seasons, he’s also made news for not making tackles. After saying “It shouldn’t be that difficult of a challenge” to stop Leonard Fournette, Ford seemed to duck tackling LSU’s standout running back in last season’s matchup.

Granted, tackling Fournette at full speed isn’t the most appealing job in the world, and Ford won’t be the last opponent to avoid him. Nevertheless, Ford’s 211 tackles over the last two years represent an impressive number, and new defensive coordinator Kevin Steele would love another 100-stop season from Auburn’s best defensive back not named Carlton Davis.

“Our biggest thing is to make sure we’re ready to go, make sure we stay high energy and fly around to get to the ball,” Ford told the Montgomery Advertiser earlier this year. “As long as we’ve got our effort, and as long as we surround the ball, we’re going to be just fine.”