Blue White Illustrated

F or Devyn Ford, it's about the lifestyle. It's about working hard and studying up. It's about competing, and, maybe most important, it's about having a good time while doing it all. One of two blue-chip ball carriers who are set to begin their Penn State careers this year, Ford joins the Nittany Lions as one of the best running backs in the history of Virginia high school football. He scored more than 100 touchdowns in his four years at North Sta=ord High and piled up more than 6,000 rushing yards. A three-time team captain, Ford did all that while making the honor roll in the class- room. He worked hard to get there, he studied up, and now he's ready to compete. Oh, is he ready. "I just feel like when you have com- petition it just makes you better," Ford said. "It makes you stay on your toes all the time. You can't have any relaxed days or slack o=. Someone is always behind you working just as hard as you, or even more, so you have to be up there and be on the same pace as he is, or faster." Ford is considered only "one of" Virginia's all-time best players be- cause the state also recently pro- duced another great running back, one who is set to take over the start- ing position at Penn State after the departure of Miles Sanders. Not only is Ford coming in with fellow four- star prospect Noah Cain, one year ahead of them both is sophomore Ricky Slade, who was ranked as one of the nation's top 50 overall recruits in 2018. Ford watched intently as Slade's ca- reer at CD Hylton unfolded. When Ford burst onto the scene in 2015 with a freshman-record 2,289 total o=en- sive yards, he did so with Slade's ac- complishments in mind. "Ricky Slade, that was the guy around here in Virginia," Ford recalled. "I wanted to be like him in a way but also be my own person. Then really getting to know him and train with him, he's a really cool dude to be around, really fun." What started as a friendly rivalry eventually turned into a real friend- ship, and soon the two Virginia high school stars will be college teammates. Likewise, Ford is building a relation- ship with fellow incoming freshman Cain. They both participated in the Under Armour All-America Game in Orlando, Fla., last month, which is where they were introduced. "Noah is a really competitive guy," Ford said. "Even just in practice, he's out there full-go, going full-speed all the time. That's what you like. That's what you want in a player." Ford has never shied away from the competition – not in Orlando, and not during his recruitment. He had always been OK with the coaching sta='s pur- suit of other running backs. When Penn State targeted four-star prospect Eric Gray, Ford helped recruit him. Gray eventually signed with Ten- nessee, but Cain, who attended IMG Academy in Florida the past two years, joined the class in December. This coming fall, Ford, Cain and Slade – all top-50 recruits – will be vying for a limited number of carries. But Ford embraces the competition and is en- couraged about what it might create. "I envision a three-headed monster," he said. "I believe all the backs, even Journey [Brown] and C.J. Holmes – P L A Y E R B I O S for having done so because of the type of impact he'll have at Penn State down the road," Friedman noted. "He may not be a big contributor from the moment he steps foot on campus because he needs to add mass to his frame, but his ceiling is much higher than some think." Ford is also an excellent student, having earned a 3.8 cu- mulative GPA. WHERE HE VISITED Virginia Tech proved to be Penn State's most formida- ble competitor, as the Hokies were the only other program to receive an o>cial visit from Ford. However, Clemson and Ohio State also gave him a lot to consider. Ford earned just shy of 30 scholarship of- fers, including o=ers from Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Texas and Wisconsin. But he had been impressed with the way in which the Nittany Lions had used Saquon Barkley in their o=ense, and that history factored heavily into his decision to commit to PSU last May. He signed with the Lions during the early period in December. QUOTABLE Ford: "I feel like Saquon Barkley is a trailblazer for Penn State. 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

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