Penn State's Devyn Ford accepts limited role at running back with grace [opinion]

Sep. 21—Devyn Ford could have gone somewhere else after seeing the potential of freshmen Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen during spring practice and preseason camp.

He could have left Penn State like Noah Cain did in January or Caziah Holmes did last month, but he didn't. He chose to stay.

"It's Penn State," Ford said Wednesday. "You can't get anywhere better than this. It's a family atmosphere. You go into the building every single day and you can treat every single man in there like he's your father or your friend.

"I guess that's what really kept me here and because of my mindset, what my grandma instilled in me, is you finish something that you start. I got that one thing on my mind."

Ford expected his college career to unfold differently than it has. A former four-star prospect at running back, he's seen his carries go from 52 in 2019 to 67 in 2020 and then to only 14 last season.

Yet he has remained loyal to Penn State, his teammates and the coaches, something that has not been lost on any of them in this day and age of the transfer portal.

"Love to see Devyn Ford get in there," Lions coach James Franklin said right after the 41-12 win at Auburn. "Devyn Ford is one of my favorites. I shouldn't have favorites. The way he's handled his entire Penn State career, he's one of our MVPs.

"He's on special teams right now and has a nice role on offense. Really proud of him."

The 5-11, 191-pound Ford arrived at Penn State in 2019 and split carries with Journey Brown, Noah Cain and Ricky Slade as the Lions went 11-2.

The 2020 season, however, was a nightmare for him and the Nittany Lions. Brown was forced to retire because of a medical condition, and Cain suffered a broken foot in the first series of the opener at Indiana.

Later in that game, Ford mistakenly scored instead of falling down inside the 5, which would have run out the clock in regulation and sealed a win. Penn State went on to lose in overtime.

Later that season, Ford's older brother died in Virginia on the day the Lions traveled to Michigan to play the Wolverines.

Last year, he saw limited time in the backfield behind Keyvone Lee, Penn State's topo rusher, and Cain. With the arrival of Singleton and Allen this year, Ford could quickly see gaining regular time would be a challenge for him.

"Those guys can do it all," Ford said. "They're bringing energy to the team itself. It's helped us be more confident and helped us be more able to do things that we didn't think we could do."

Singleton, the former Gov, Mifflin star, has run for 334 yards and four touchdowns in the first three games of his career, the best start by any freshman back at Penn State since at least 2000. Ford saw potential greatness in him as early as the Lions' winter weight training and conditioning.

"When it first clicked with me that this dude's going to be a dude, it was in the weight room," Ford recalled. "When you're seeing him clean about 300 (pounds), squat 400, bench 300. I was like, 'This guy's got numbers. He's gonna be a freak.'

"And then through spring and then summer, I mean, he just got into his own character. He's got his own craft to him. And we're just continuing to teach him and learn from him as well."

Ford's voice had no trace of envy or jealousy. He said the chemistry among the running backs is positive, which might stem from how he's handled his limited role.

"They're teaching me how to be more aggressive in the run game," Ford said about Singleton and Allen, "teaching me how to just use my speed and get out there. They're just doing things that I'm noticing that help me a lot.

"We all love each other. We are going to have each others' backs on the sideline and make sure someone's locked in. If someone's not locked in, we're going to make sure they get locked in. If they miss a meeting, make sure they get the notes. It's exciting to see."

Ford has seen time on offense, mostly on third down. He has seven carries for 37 yards and four catches for 31 yards. He's also a large part of the special teams.

Running backs coach Ja'Juan Seider raved about Ford shortly before Penn State opened its season at Purdue.

"He's one of the smartest running backs I've ever coached," Seider said. "He can run a meeting room. If he ever wanted to get into coaching and I was a head coach, I'd hire him.

"He can play in any situation. He can be a starter. He can be a special player for us. He can be a sub. I trust him. I can put him in the game at any time."

It's refreshing to see an athlete like Ford accept his role without moaning and continue working to better himself and his team. Younger athletes in any sport should take note.

"You got to look at it every day with a positive attitude," he said, "because you know that it may not go your way. But it may."