Former West Virginia QB transfers to Fresno State

Former West Virginia quarterback Ford Childress has transferred to Fresno State after spending last season at a junior college in Texas.

The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Childress took a medical reshirt last season at Trinity Valley Community College in Athens and helped coach the quarterbacks, Trinity Valley offensive coordinator Clay Patterson said.

Childress is now enrolled at Fresno State and enters fall camp Aug. 3 expected to battle for the starting spot.

“He is very talented — super intelligent, high football IQ, great feet and talented passer. He is made for Fresno’s style of offense,” Patterson said.

The Bulldogs are seeking stability at the quarterback position since Derek Carr was selected in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft by the Oakland Raiders. Brian Burrell started 13 games last season, hitting 58.3% of his passes for 2,620 yards with 22 touchdowns but also had 18 interceptions for a Bulldogs passing game that ranked sixth in the Mountain West Conference.

Burrell, with his degree in sight, left the program before spring camp, when sophomore Zach Greenlee, who played in three games last season, redshirt freshman Kilton Anderson and true freshman Chason Virgil took turns running the offense.

In his West Virginia debut as a redshirt freshman in 2013, Childress was 36 for 63 for 421 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-7 victory over Georgia State.

Childress made two starts before suffering a torn pectoral muscle against Maryland. He was later suspended by coach Dana Holgorsen for violating team rules and left West Virginia in January 2014.

Last fall Childress enrolled at Trinity Valley but didn’t play because of the injury he suffered at West Virginia.

Childress, the son of former Houston Oiler and five-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Ray Childress, prepped at Kincaid High in Houston and was a four-star prospect. He led Kincaid to a 20-1 record during his two seasons as a starter before choosing West Virginia over Arizona, Arizona State, Florida State and Oklahoma State.

Childress is the second former West Virginia player to transfer to Fresno State, along with graduate running back Dustin Garrison.

In coach Tim DeRutyer’s first three seasons at Fresno State, the Bulldogs have gone 26-14 (19-5 MW) and won two conference championships.

The Bulldogs open the season Sept. 3 against Abilene Christian at Bulldog Stadium.

▪ Fresno State senior Justin Northern is one of 197 nominess for the 2015 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team. Northern, a senior mechanical engineering major from Lakewood, has made 27 straight starts at right tackle for the Bulldogs.

This story was originally published July 14, 2015 at 6:57 PM with the headline "Former West Virginia QB transfers to Fresno State."