En route to Memphis on Tuesday, Ford said he's been in Georgia, North Carolina, Illinois and Connecticut, along with multiple trips to Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma City.
"In the evaluation period I just want to be out and be seen with OSU on my shirt,” Ford said. "I've been a lot of places, but it's important to be out there.”
Ford said his former UMass assistant, Steve Middleton, and Chris Ferguson, a member of former coach Sean Sutton's staff, have accompanied him recruiting, and said there's "definitely a chance” Ferguson will remain on his staff.
"It was something where at first it was a rush, but now that (the recruiting evaluation period) is ending I'm not in as big a rush,” Ford said of filling out his staff. "It's a high, high priority, and I want to be sure to get it right.”
Ford said he's had about three team meetings with the current players, and two individual meetings with most of them. NCAA rules prevent practices the week before final exams. OSU's finals are this week.
"That's been really disappointing, that I haven't been able to get them on the court yet,” Ford said.
Players will go home this week, and return to campus in June and July for summer sessions and to work Ford's youth basketball camps.
One of Ford's first public moves as OSU's coach was to suspend senior-to-be Terrel Harris last week.
An OSU press release called it an "indefinite suspension.” Asked Tuesday if Harris has a chance of returning to the team, Ford said he's "trying to evaluate everything, getting to know everybody” and not make and rash decisions.
The new coach said he hasn't seen his family since the press conference announcing his hire, and he's looking forward to spending a couple days with them after the recruiting evaluation period ends today.
He said his family will move to Stillwater after his oldest son, a second-grader, finishes school in mid-June.
