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Five-Star RB Devyn Ford commits to Penn State

Penn State added its biggest commitment yet in the Class of 2019 Friday, as five-star running back Devyn Ford officially became a Nittany Lion!

Ford took an official visit to Penn State Blue-White Weekend, April 21-22.
Ford took an official visit to Penn State Blue-White Weekend, April 21-22.
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Penn State picked up its biggest commitment yet Friday, as five-star running back and Stafford, Va., native Devyn Ford officially became a member of the 2019 recruiting class.

Dating back to his freshman season, the nation's top-ranked running back has taken a half-dozen visits to Happy Valley, including an official visit this past April for the Blue-White Game. He spoke highly of that experience just a few weeks ago when interviewed at the Rivals 3 Stripe Camp in New Jersey.

"What I like about Penn State is just the fans," Ford said. "They have 110k up there. Up there at the spring game, it was amazing the atmosphere there. They only had 71,000 there and it still felt like a real game, to be honest.

"They have really good alumni. I see people down here in Virginia always talking about 'go there, go there, We Are,' all that stuff. I also got Nana [Asiedu] and Ricky [Slade] in my ear, too."

Ford originally built a strong relationship with former running backs coach Charles Huff, who has since joined Joe Moorhead at Mississippi State. It felt like his departure last December could hurt Penn State’s chances, but once Franklin introduced new running backs coach Ja'Juan Seider to the staff, the pair instantly hit it off. That relationship played a major role in Ford's commitment.

Penn State's offensive system, specifically how it utilized All-American running back Saquon Barkley, also caught Ford's eye.

"I feel like Saquon Barkley is a trail blazer for Penn State," said Ford. "You didn't really have a back like that come out until he actually did it. Now, that's set the tone for other backs behind him...So, I feel like having a back like that, go the first round, second pick, it was amazing to see what they did with him and how versatile you can be [in that offense]."


Last season, Ford earned first-team all-state honors at running back, rushing for 2,056 yards and 32 touchdowns at North Stafford. He earned 30 scholarship offers over the course of his high school career. Clemson, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Virginia Tech were the other five schools that he seriously considered, ultimately narrowing his list to the Nittany Lions and Hokies.

Ford is now the fifth prospect to join Penn State's 2019 class. He's the first running back to make a commitment, although the staff would like to sign two rushers come the December signing period. He's also the fourth five-star prospect to commit to Penn State in the past three recruiting classes, joining defensive back Lamont Wade, wide receiver Justin Shorter and linebacker Micah Parsons.

On Monday, the Lions are expected to add two more prospects, as DB Tyler Rudolph, from Oakdale, Conn., and LB Brandon Smith, from Mineral, Va., are both set to announce after school.

Another prospect to keep an eye on in a few weeks from now is Chesapeake, Va., cornerback Cam'Ron Kelly. Earlier this week, the four-star announced that he's set to make a commitment on June 8. Ford said that the pair became close friends back in April, as Kelly also took an official visit to Penn State Blue-White Weekend.

"I built a strong bond with my man Cam Kelly" Ford said. "We actually never met each other in-person at all before, but we got in the hotel together, got in around 12 o'clock and we talked until like 3 o'clock in the morning, talking about everything. We feel like brothers now."

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