How Penn State Football can replace Noah Cain, after running back transfers to LSU

Devyn Ford

While his sample size is somewhat limited, Devyn Ford has been sneaky good through his first three seasons in a Penn State Football uniform.

In 2019, he averaged 5.7 yards per carry on 52 carries on the season, and he probably could have gotten many more had he not been behind a red-hot Journey Brown, and also Noah Cain, who was excellent as a freshman. Ford also had key touchdowns against Pitt and Memphis in 2019.

In 2020, while he saw his yards per carry drop, he did manage to find the endzone three times in just 6 games. Although, it probably would have been better if he didn’t score one of those touchdowns, but we won’t talk about that.

In 2021, Ford only got 14 carries all season, so there isn’t much to work with statistically. He probably should have been given more of an opportunity, given that any one of the other backs struggled to really separate themselves from the pack.

At 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, the Stafford, Virginia product has good speed, which could have been used in the backfield in 2021, as they struggled to hit on big runs.

While he isn’t going to be a feature back, Devyn Ford is a good guy to have in the rotation, and he should see his role increase with the departures of John Lovett and Noah Cain.