James Franklin updates status of Devyn Ford moving forward at Penn State
Penn State junior running back Devyn Ford is no longer with the team, head coach James Franklin confirmed after the Nittany Lions win against Northwestern on Saturday.
Ford had dressed for all four of Penn State’s games prior to Saturday but had gotten very limited action. He’s had 12 total touches for 68 yards in the four contests. He has decided to step away from football to focus on academics, Franklin said.
“Yeah Devyn Ford is no longer on the team. He has decided that he wanted to focus on academics. And we wish him the best. I think you guys know I’ve praised Devyn Ford for years, have a ton of respect for him, and I wish him nothing but the best,” Franklin said.
Ford’s departure comes as a youth movement has taken over the Penn State running back room, with freshmen Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen.
Franklin has been pleased with Adisa Isaac’s progress back from injury
An Achilles injury can be one of the most difficult to overcome. Unfortunately for Adisa Isaac, he was forced to miss the entirety of the 2021 season with an Achilles injury. In 2022, Isaac made his return to play for Franklin and the Penn State Nittany Lions.
While speaking to the media, James Franklin discussed Adisa Isaac, including the success that he’s had returning from his injury and what he hopes to see going forward for Isaac.
“I think everybody knows how I feel about Adisa and his family,” Franklin said. “It’s been really awesome, you know, since he stepped on our campus and even through the recruiting process.”
“So, like a lot of our guys, it’s great to see them have success, specifically coming back off an injury. You know, he’s a special young man and we need him for our defense and for our team to be successful, but it’s also great to see him, you know, be able to have some individual success as well.”
So, far, Adisa Isaac has played in three games for Penn State, recording a sack against Auburn. Still, Isaac is still recovering and getting used to the grind for the season again.
“He’s gaining more and more confidence with each week,” Franklin said. “Obviously last week he was able to flash and do some really good things and have some splash plays for us. But I think you’ll just continue to see him, as the year goes on, be more consistent and consistently be able to make more big plays for us. That’s what I expect”