Narrowing focus, Ford determined to translate small improvements to field
Devyn Ford’s offseason checklist wasn’t massive.
Ascending into a feature role in the Nittany Lions’ offense at the start of the 2020 season as a matter of necessity, presumed starters Journey Brown and Noah Cain both lost to ailments, the sophomore finished third on the team in carries and rushing yards despite playing only six games. At 45.67 yards per outing, the effort finished second only to true freshman Keyvone Lee, whose four rushing scores barely edged Ford’s three.
So when reflecting on the improvements he set out to make between the December finish of the Nittany Lions’ slate and the resumption of games in September, Ford narrowed his focus considerably.
“I feel like I just improved on the little things, just going into meetings and taking more notes, more carefully, coming into the facility when you need to, getting in that extra work, eating better and stuff like that,” Ford said this spring. “Just keep playing ball and being me. Just keep piecing the things together. If you just keep working on the little things and just keep putting them together, keep putting different parts of your game together to become the best person possible. The best player on the field, this person in the classroom, the best man.”
Certainly, in two seasons on Penn State’s campus, Ford has the experience to draw from as he gears up for an important junior season in the program.
Able to make an immediate impression as Penn State’s fourth tailback in his debut season in 2019, Ford finished with 52 carries for 294 yards and three touchdowns in the limited role. Highlighted by an 81-yard touchdown run, the effort left Ford with a respectable 69.9 PFF College rushing grade for the season behind Brown’s 82.2 and Cain’s 81.0 among the Nittany Lions’ running backs.
Determined to continue that trajectory into the 2020 season, Ford’s perspective quickly changed up a career-ending heart condition diagnosis to Brown and Cain’s first-series, season-ending foot injury sustained at Indiana in October.
The only viable option for the Nittany Lions at the moment at the position given the complete inexperience rounding out the rest of the room, Ford finished with 20 carries for 69 yards and a touchdown against the Hoosiers, but the fourth-quarter score proved to be a challenging moment from which to grow.
Managing to steady himself from the moment, Ford would produce his best performance of the season with 66 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries at Nebraska, then returned from a death in the family with 65 yards and a score on 11 carries at Rutgers in December.
All the while, Ford helped usher along the progression of Lee and fellow true freshman Caziah Holmes, each of whom steadily saw their roles expand in the Lions’ shorthanded running backs room. With that onus, Ford said, came an opportunity to expand his knowledge and perspective toward the game, which has carried through into the offseason.
“I kind of learned to be a leader, try to lead the room as much and as best as you can,” Ford said. “I understand situations a lot more and just understand everyone in the offense. Being in that role, you got to be able to take everything full speed, fast-paced. It's nice to have that role and be in that role sometimes and take care of that, because it just opens up the doors for the younger guys too, to see you in that position, now they can do that too.”
Bringing a veteran, mature approach to the offseason, teammates commented this spring that the impressive physical traits that have always been there for Ford have started to translate to the field more frequently.
Described as “quick,” “explosive,” and “powerful,” the question for running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider, the rest of the Nittany Lions’ staff, and Ford himself, is whether or not those qualities can be on display every down.
“With Devyn, we say it every year, he is one of the most talented kids on our team, even as a running back. But at some point, we got to stop talking about how talented you are, and you got to put it together. You got to put it together for a whole season,” Seider said. “I thought he did some really good stuff for us. I thought he played well versus Ohio State. I thought he did some good stuff versus Nebraska. In the Rutgers game, he came back off of injury. Then he got hurt. And then when you open the door for young guys, they took advantage of it.
“So for him, it's just being able to put a whole season together. I still believe in that kid. I think he brings a presence to what we do offensively, running the ball, catching the ball, in the return game. I still believe in his potential as a player. Now we just got to get it.”
A dynamic he described as “tough love” between Seider and himself, Ford readily acknowledges the reality of the moment as the 2021 season quickly approaches.
Urged to show consistency, a culture-level insistence throughout the room, Ford said that his improved understanding of what he’s doing has helped this spring. But with Cain expected to return from his injury this fall, the presence of Lee and Holmes this spring, and the addition of transfer fifth-year back John Lovett from Baylor this winter, the competition has never been greater in the room, making the urgency of the moment even bigger for Ford.
“We all talk about potential. Potential is nothing if you don't tap into it. It's time for him to take the next step,” Seider said. “It's gonna be his third year, I think for him the best thing right now I can tell you about him, is you can see the maturity taking over in him. He's starting to calm down. He's starting to focus on himself, being a better student, which is going to allow you to be a better football player.
“I tell my guys all the time if you handle the stuff off the field, it's gonna make the stuff on the field easy for you because you're not gonna have that many distractions, and now you can focus on doing the things you love and playing ball. And so that's been a message all spring, and I think the kids are taking to it.”
Determined to make his mark in the backfield for the Nittany Lions this fall, it’s a standard Ford continues to work to meet.
“It's ingrained in us in the Penn State program the whole time. It's the little things,” Ford said. “Take care of the little things and everything should be able to go the way you should and you will be able to handle your business.”
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