Ace Ward, the 6-foot, 205-pound, outside linebacker/strong safety from Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Calif., missed most of his junior season with a lower right leg fracture. He still amassed a total of 35 tackles. Ward says the injury wasn't serious and that he's 100 percent now.
"I'm incredibly quick to the ball and have great closing speed," Ward said. "I'm very violent when I play. I attack as fast and hard as I can.
"I still want to improve my lateral shuffle and footwork," he said. "I want to improve my knowledge of the game too. I'm working with Deron Braswell and he's training me. He's a three time All-American and really knows what he's talking about."
Ward plans to attend a Nike Camp this spring and will be at the Scout.com 7-on-7 on March 15 in Las Vegas, Nev. He also will be attending a Junior Day at San Diego State on March 1.
"My sister went to San Diego State (she transferred after her sophomore season) and I really enjoyed the campus and the weather there is great," he said. "I'm really looking forward to going back down there and checking everything out. I want to learn more about the program."
Although Ward has no offers and denies a leader, he says he likes and is being recruited by Oregon State, Northern Arizona, San Diego State, Iowa State, Florida State, Kansas State, Louisville and several others.
Growing up, Ward always liked the Beavers, and admits to being a huge college football fan overall. "Oregon State seems to have pretty good tradition and they are always a solid team," he said. "I think the coaches are really good and it seems like a nice program. I really like their recruiting coordinator Mark Banker. He's a really cool guy and I like what he has to say about them. I'm starting to develop a good relationship with him."
Ward says he doesn't see himself making an early decision even when he gets some scholarship offers. "I really want to take my time and take some visits and make sure I find the right place for me," he said. "It's really early and I'm still open-minded."
The school that has been sending Ward the most mail thus far is Florida State. "I get a lot of brochures and questionnaires from them," he said. Despite getting interest from schools all over the country, Ward says he hasn't heard from some of the local schools like UCLA, USC or California yet. "If they start recruiting me I'll look at them like I'm looking at everybody else. I'm not too worried about it.
"I want to find a program with a great tradition and where I feel like I can really fit in and contribute," he said. "That's important to me. I really want to make a contribution wherever I go. Things like distance, weather, location don't really matter."
Ward benches 285 pounds, power cleans 265 and squats 425.
He reports a 2.7 core GPA and is taking the SAT in May for the first time.