Newest Lions eager to compete
Cain, Ford want to see school become Running Back U.
Noah Cain and Devyn Ford, the twin backfield pillars of Penn State’s recruiting class, met for the first time recently in Orlando. They talked reporting dates (Cain this past weekend, Ford in June), running styles and their plans for Penn State’s future.
“Taking over college football is the biggest thing,” Cain said. “We’re trying to go up there and bring a different type of swag to the team, change the culture, install that winning vibe.”
Cain and Ford, two of five Penn State players who competed at last week’s Under Armour All-America Game, have a clear vision for their time in State College. They see a backfield similar to what Georgia fielded in 2017 with Sony Michel, Nick Chubb and D’Andre Swift.
They declared an intent to make Penn State a challenger for college football’s title of Running Back University. They also envision a team that wins championships.
“We’re looking for people who have the right attitude on and off the field,” Ford said. “Getting good grades in the classroom, being a great player on the field and being a great person in the community. I think our class has all those features.”
Ford and Cain arrive at Penn State as the starting job is up for grabs. Miles Sanders departed for the NFL draft, leaving sophomore Ricky Slade and redshirt sophomore Journey Brown as the top returning backs.
Both Ford and Cain can play early. Ford rushed for more than 6,000 yards at North Stafford (Va.) High, where he was a three-time all-state selection. Cain played two seasons at the high-intensity IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., where he was
the team’s co-MVP as a senior.
In Florida, both backs said they expected, even welcomed, the competition awaiting at Penn State. Ford liked the prospect of what a backfield committee might do.
“You want to be in a place where people have high motors and are competitors and are going to push you to be better every single day,” Ford said. “It’s not like you’re going to a school where everything’s handed to you, where you’re already the starting running back. If you’re not getting competition, how are you going to grow?”
As Penn State coach James Franklin said in December, Saquon Barkley’s success contributed to both backs’ decisions. Ford attended the 2017 Penn State-Michigan game, which Barkley began by taking a direct snap 69 yards for a touchdown. Ford loved the play and saw himself running something like it.
“I always say Saquon is a one-time back, a freak of nature, but how Saquon was used in the offense also set a really big tone for the rest of the recruiting class,” Ford said.
Cain studied Barkley’s offensive role as well (“That’s something that was really appealing to me,” he said) but needed more convincing to choose Penn State. Originally from Baton Rouge, La., Cain moved to Texas after Hurricane Katrina. He played two seasons at Guyer High School in Denton, Texas before transferring to IMG Academy for his final two seasons.
On Dec. 19, the first day of college football’s early signing period, Cain said he woke up planning to commit to Texas. He talked to Penn State coach James Franklin the night before and even called running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider to break the news.
But Seider made a final pitch, and Cain also reconsidered a conversation with Franklin he had earlier. A rumor about USC pursuing the Penn State coach had surfaced. Franklin discussed it openly.
“He said, ‘Penn State is not a job you walk through. It’s a job you retire from,’” Cain said. “When coach Franklin said that, I knew he was staying.”
Tyler Bowen, Penn State’s offensive recruiting coordinator and tight ends coach, said that neither Cain nor Ford showed any “hesitation or reservation” about the forthcoming competition. “We want guys who want to come in and compete,” Bowen said.
For Cain, that pitch proved appealing. Franklin’s “great to elite” speech after the Ohio State game came up in recruiting.
“They want dudes who want to dominate, and I definitely liked the pitch they had when they were recruiting me,” Cain said. “I want everybody to be a dog, to go out there and dominate every play, every opponent we play against. I don’t want us to be an underdog. We have to go out there and be a top dog every game.”