Penn State Football: Transfer DT Alonzo Ford Commits to the Nittany Lions

On Wednesday evening, defensive tackle Alonzo Ford announced his commitment to the Penn State football team on his social media pages.

Ford previously attended Old Dominion and he is from Richmond, Virginia. During this past season with the Monarchs, Ford accounted for 32 tackles and 3.5 sacks according to ESPN.

He stands at 6’3 290 lbs which is a great size for a defensive tackle and will enter his junior year this fall. That is one of the areas that the Nittany Lions needed to bulk up in was the interior defensive line. When the Penn State football team needs to stop a team like Michigan or Ohio State who can run the ball at will, this is when these big bodies are required. Adding Ford allows for defensive coordinator Manny Diaz to rotate in more bodies on the defensive line and now the Nittany Lions can fill the shoes of PJ Mustipher who is off to the NFL.

Ford was on campus recently for a visit to Happy Valley and only a few days later he made his decision. This speaks to how important it is that the Penn State football staff can get these transfer portal targets on campus to show what they have to offer.

I am most excited for defensive line coach Deion Barnes to get a chance to work with a veteran like Ford. Players like Zane Durant, Dvon Ellis, Coziah Izzard, and now Alonzo Ford will be within the rotation during each game this fall. The more depth the Nittany Lions can establish, the better they will be late in the season when injuries start to pile up.

This shows just how serious the Penn State coaching staff is about this upcoming season. They are more aggressive now than they have been in past years in the transfer portal. James Franklin recognizes areas where the team needs to improve, and he is doing whatever it takes to find the right players.