Penn State picks up ESPN 300 recruit Devyn Ford

ESPN 300 running back Devyn Ford has committed to Penn State, announcing his decision to be a member of the 2019 recruiting class on Friday when he unzipped his jacket to reveal a Nittany Lions T-shirt.

Ford had been deciding between Virginia Tech and Penn State.

"What I like about Penn State is just the fans," Ford said. "They have 110K up there. Up there at the spring game, it was amazing the atmosphere there. They only had 71,000 there and it still felt like a real game, to be honest.

"They have really good alumni. I see people down here in Virginia always talking about 'go there, go there, We Are,' all that stuff. I also got [Penn State commits] Nana [Asiedu] and Ricky [Slade] in my ear too."

Ford said the success of Saquon Barkley also weighed into his decision.

"I feel like Saquon Barkley is a trailblazer for Penn State," Ford said. "You didn't really have a back like that come out until he actually did it. Now that's set the tone for other backs behind him. ... So I feel like having a back like that, go the first round, second pick, it was amazing to see what they did with him and how versatile you can be [in that offense]."

Ford is the third top-10 ranked running back in the past four classes for the Nittany Lions, along with Miles Sanders and Slade.

Information from ESPN's Tom VanHaaren was used in this report.