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Jesse Luketa discusses Penn State running backs room

With Journey Brown out of action, all eyes have turned to Noah Cain, the promising sophomore running back who finished second on the team in rushing last year despite missing substantial action with an injury.

But Cain is not the only former four-star prospect in the Nittany Lion backfield. When linebacker Jesse Luketa was asked Tuesday morning to assess the progress of Brown’s backups, the name that came immediately to his mind was Devyn Ford.

“He’s someone I go to battle with every day, whether it’s as a running back, blitz pickup, one-on-ones. We’re just getting each other better,” Luketa said. “Devyn presents a lot of versatility. He’s able to be flexed out in the slot and [run] those routes that you would expect of a slot receiver. He’s able to differentiate himself from the backs, and I’m excited for what he’s going to do this upcoming season and see how he’s going to move on and really establish himself.”

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Devyn Ford Penn State Nittany Lions Football
RB Devyn Ford may be impacted the most following the news about Journey Brown.

Ford, a 5-foot-11, 198-pound sophomore, finished fourth on the team in rushing last year with 294 yards and three touchdowns in 12 games. His average of 5.7 yards per carry was second only to Brown’s 6.9-yard average among runners with more than a handful of carries. He also caught five passes for 30 yards.

Starting with this weekend’s game at Indiana, Ford will by vying for carries with Cain, who gained 443 yards and scored a PSU freshman-record eight rushing touchdowns last year. In addition, the Lions’ backfield boasts two more former four-star prospects in true freshmen Caziah Holmes and Keyvone Lee.

As for Brown, Luketa said the redshirt junior has stayed positive even as he’s been forced to the sideline just as his college career appeared to be taking off.

“If you know Journey, he’s such a vibrant person,” the junior linebacker said. “That energy is infectious. He hasn’t lost that at all. He’s still the same J.B. that I knew when I first came to America [from Canada in 2018]. As far as his growth on the field, it’s been extremely incredible, in my opinion. I’ve seen him go from a running back who had the speed to take off every single time he touched the ball, to really transitioning to a top-five back in the nation. Every time he touches the ball, he can take it 70 yards and make it look easy. That transition has shown his attention to detail, his preparation, his work ethic and just how hungry he is to be a better version of himself.”

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