This is a big commitment for coach Franklin...
When Virginia Tech football coach Justin Fuente was hired by the Hokies in 2016 and began to navigate the recruiting landscape in the Commonwealth, he eyed North Stafford running back Devyn Ford.
Ford already held a scholarship offer from the Hokies, but Wolverines head coach Joe Mangano said the Virginia Tech coaching staff informed him the plan was to “build a fence” around the dynamic all-purpose performer.
Penn State head coach James Franklin figured out a way to penetrate that fence.
During a ceremony at North Stafford on Friday afternoon in front of more than 150 family members and friends, Ford announced that he’s orally committed to Penn State.
The Nittany Lions and Hokies were his final two choices out of 40 major college scholarship offers.
“It was really hard to walk away from Tech because they’ve been there since the beginning,” Ford said. “But I couldn’t go wrong with either choice. At Tech, I could come in, do some things, become a starter and be a stay-at-home legend. I understand that, but at the same time I’ve got family at Penn State.”
The family Ford speaks of is North Stafford senior offensive lineman Nana Asiedu, who has signed with Penn State and will join the program this upcoming season.
Ford is also close friends with C.D. Hylton senior running back Ricky Slade, who has signed with the Nittany Lions.
Ford said the presence of Asiedu and Slade sealed it for Penn State. Former Chancellor defensive end Yetur Gross–Matos is a rising sophomore at PSU and Mountain View alum DaeSean Hamilton recently completed five years there and was drafted in the fourth round by the Denver Broncos in April’s NFL draft.
“You’ve got people that I’m familiar with at Penn State,” Ford said. “Nothing bad about Tech. They did everything perfectly and so did Penn State. I just couldn’t go wrong.”
Ford chose Friday to make the announcement because May 18 is the birthday of his paternal grandmother, Barbara Clinkscales, who “knows me better than I know myself,” he said.
In addition to his grandmother, Ford had his mother, father, stepmother and aunt on stage with him. His mother unzipped his jacket to reveal a Penn State shirt.
His father, Anthony Ford, said he fell in love with Virginia Tech early in the recruiting process but understands it was ultimately his son’s decision.
“Truthfully I wanted Virginia Tech,” Anthony Ford said. “But I’m not the one going to the school. He’s got to go where he wants to go. He’s got to be happy, and when we went up there, Coach Franklin put it on. He’s a good person. He’s down to earth and friendly. He’s just like one of the guys but he’s also the coach.”
Ford said Franklin’s ability to relate to players and also push them to be better was a key factor in his decision.
Ford (5-foot-11, 195 pounds) has rushed for more than 5,000 yards and 70 touchdowns in his career with the Wolverines.
He’s rated a five-star prospect by Rivals.com and the No. 1 running back in the nation in his class. 247sports.com wrote on its evaluation of Ford that there isn’t much he can’t do at a high level and that he’s a “unique talent” and a “true all-purpose” back.
Anthony Ford said his son received so many bundles of mail every day that the mailman began leaving it on the porch of their Stafford County home.
“I’m pretty sure the mailman is happy it might be stopping now,” Anthony Ford said. “When he would see me, he’d say, ‘Has your son made a decision yet?’ ”
Penn State had former star running back Saquon Barkley drafted No. 2 overall by the New York Giants last month.
Slade will step into a backfield with four scholarship players at his position ahead of him in Mark Allen, Journey Brown, Miles Sanders and Johnathan Thomas.
Only Sanders, a junior, and Brown, a freshman, will be around when Ford arrives next year. Ford envisions eventually sharing the load with Slade.
“With the relationship me and Ricky have, there wouldn’t be any bad blood,” Ford said. “Yeah, he’s a year ahead of me. But the main thing is we can actually help each other get better, perfect our crafts and learn from one another. We could be like [former Georgia tandem] Sony Michel and Nick Chubb, lightning and thunder.”
Ford said he’s willing to sacrifice at Penn State because of the connection he’s developed with Franklin. He said he “believes in the dream that Coach Franklin has,” and he can see where he fits into the Nittany Lions’ plans to build a special program.
Penn State is already thriving under Franklin.
The Nittany Lions have gone 22–5 the past two seasons, including a Fiesta Bowl victory over Washington to culminate the 2017 campaign.
Ford said that success combined with Franklin’s magnetic persona has skyrocketed the Nittany Lions in the eyes of recruits.
“He just brings a different energy to a team and to recruits and make them believe that it’s something special there and that we can do something special,” Ford said. “I believe that Penn State is stirring up something really special with the 2018 recruiting class and the 2019 recruiting class. We’ll see in the future.”
Ford represents another major pickup for the Nittany Lions. Penn State is also in the mix for Louisa junior linebacker Brandon Smith, who will announce his choice on Monday.
Virginia and Virginia Tech first spotted Ford at one-day camps the summer before his freshman season.
In late October 2015, he picked up his first scholarship offers from Virginia and North Carolina and they continued to roll in. He had five offers by the end of his freshman season.
Mangano noted Ford, who holds a 3.8 GPA, is the first player in his 23 years as a coach to be named captain every year. He had perfect attendance for nearly three full years until he took off one Friday last month for his official visit to Virginia Tech.
“As great as he is on the field, and he’s spectacular, off the field, he’s even better,” Mangano said.
Ford trimmed his list of suitors down to six—Penn State, Virginia Tech, Ohio State, Clemson, North Carolina and Oklahoma—this past winter.
He later narrowed it down to three official visits, including the Nittany Lions, Hokies and Buckeyes, before settling on his final two.
Ford said he’s relieved to commit and prepare for the upcoming season. He can’t officially sign a national letter of intent until December.
“It’s a lot of weight off my shoulders,” he said. “For the past four years, you’re traveling up and down the East Coast, meeting different coaches every single week. It’s a lot of stress as well as tiring on my mind and body. You talk to so many different people, it’s kind of hard to pick your way through and find the real ones. So after this day, I’ll be so much lighter on my feet. I’ll be feeling good going into my senior season. I’ll just have fun and enjoy it.”
When Virginia Tech football coach Justin Fuente was hired by the Hokies in 2016 and began to navigate the recruiting landscape in the Commonwealth, he eyed North Stafford running back Devyn Ford.
Ford already held a scholarship offer from the Hokies, but Wolverines head coach Joe Mangano said the Virginia Tech coaching staff informed him the plan was to “build a fence” around the dynamic all-purpose performer.
Penn State head coach James Franklin figured out a way to penetrate that fence.
During a ceremony at North Stafford on Friday afternoon in front of more than 150 family members and friends, Ford announced that he’s orally committed to Penn State.
The Nittany Lions and Hokies were his final two choices out of 40 major college scholarship offers.
“It was really hard to walk away from Tech because they’ve been there since the beginning,” Ford said. “But I couldn’t go wrong with either choice. At Tech, I could come in, do some things, become a starter and be a stay-at-home legend. I understand that, but at the same time I’ve got family at Penn State.”
The family Ford speaks of is North Stafford senior offensive lineman Nana Asiedu, who has signed with Penn State and will join the program this upcoming season.
Ford is also close friends with C.D. Hylton senior running back Ricky Slade, who has signed with the Nittany Lions.
Ford said the presence of Asiedu and Slade sealed it for Penn State. Former Chancellor defensive end Yetur Gross–Matos is a rising sophomore at PSU and Mountain View alum DaeSean Hamilton recently completed five years there and was drafted in the fourth round by the Denver Broncos in April’s NFL draft.
“You’ve got people that I’m familiar with at Penn State,” Ford said. “Nothing bad about Tech. They did everything perfectly and so did Penn State. I just couldn’t go wrong.”
Ford chose Friday to make the announcement because May 18 is the birthday of his paternal grandmother, Barbara Clinkscales, who “knows me better than I know myself,” he said.
In addition to his grandmother, Ford had his mother, father, stepmother and aunt on stage with him. His mother unzipped his jacket to reveal a Penn State shirt.
His father, Anthony Ford, said he fell in love with Virginia Tech early in the recruiting process but understands it was ultimately his son’s decision.
“Truthfully I wanted Virginia Tech,” Anthony Ford said. “But I’m not the one going to the school. He’s got to go where he wants to go. He’s got to be happy, and when we went up there, Coach Franklin put it on. He’s a good person. He’s down to earth and friendly. He’s just like one of the guys but he’s also the coach.”
Ford said Franklin’s ability to relate to players and also push them to be better was a key factor in his decision.
Ford (5-foot-11, 195 pounds) has rushed for more than 5,000 yards and 70 touchdowns in his career with the Wolverines.
He’s rated a five-star prospect by Rivals.com and the No. 1 running back in the nation in his class. 247sports.com wrote on its evaluation of Ford that there isn’t much he can’t do at a high level and that he’s a “unique talent” and a “true all-purpose” back.
Anthony Ford said his son received so many bundles of mail every day that the mailman began leaving it on the porch of their Stafford County home.
“I’m pretty sure the mailman is happy it might be stopping now,” Anthony Ford said. “When he would see me, he’d say, ‘Has your son made a decision yet?’ ”
Penn State had former star running back Saquon Barkley drafted No. 2 overall by the New York Giants last month.
Slade will step into a backfield with four scholarship players at his position ahead of him in Mark Allen, Journey Brown, Miles Sanders and Johnathan Thomas.
Only Sanders, a junior, and Brown, a freshman, will be around when Ford arrives next year. Ford envisions eventually sharing the load with Slade.
“With the relationship me and Ricky have, there wouldn’t be any bad blood,” Ford said. “Yeah, he’s a year ahead of me. But the main thing is we can actually help each other get better, perfect our crafts and learn from one another. We could be like [former Georgia tandem] Sony Michel and Nick Chubb, lightning and thunder.”
Ford said he’s willing to sacrifice at Penn State because of the connection he’s developed with Franklin. He said he “believes in the dream that Coach Franklin has,” and he can see where he fits into the Nittany Lions’ plans to build a special program.
Penn State is already thriving under Franklin.
The Nittany Lions have gone 22–5 the past two seasons, including a Fiesta Bowl victory over Washington to culminate the 2017 campaign.
Ford said that success combined with Franklin’s magnetic persona has skyrocketed the Nittany Lions in the eyes of recruits.
“He just brings a different energy to a team and to recruits and make them believe that it’s something special there and that we can do something special,” Ford said. “I believe that Penn State is stirring up something really special with the 2018 recruiting class and the 2019 recruiting class. We’ll see in the future.”
Ford represents another major pickup for the Nittany Lions. Penn State is also in the mix for Louisa junior linebacker Brandon Smith, who will announce his choice on Monday.
Virginia and Virginia Tech first spotted Ford at one-day camps the summer before his freshman season.
In late October 2015, he picked up his first scholarship offers from Virginia and North Carolina and they continued to roll in. He had five offers by the end of his freshman season.
Mangano noted Ford, who holds a 3.8 GPA, is the first player in his 23 years as a coach to be named captain every year. He had perfect attendance for nearly three full years until he took off one Friday last month for his official visit to Virginia Tech.
“As great as he is on the field, and he’s spectacular, off the field, he’s even better,” Mangano said.
Ford trimmed his list of suitors down to six—Penn State, Virginia Tech, Ohio State, Clemson, North Carolina and Oklahoma—this past winter.
He later narrowed it down to three official visits, including the Nittany Lions, Hokies and Buckeyes, before settling on his final two.
Ford said he’s relieved to commit and prepare for the upcoming season. He can’t officially sign a national letter of intent until December.
“It’s a lot of weight off my shoulders,” he said. “For the past four years, you’re traveling up and down the East Coast, meeting different coaches every single week. It’s a lot of stress as well as tiring on my mind and body. You talk to so many different people, it’s kind of hard to pick your way through and find the real ones. So after this day, I’ll be so much lighter on my feet. I’ll be feeling good going into my senior season. I’ll just have fun and enjoy it.”
