Penn State football: 5 freshmen who'll have instant impact in 2019

Penn State Football: 5 incoming freshmen who’ll have instant impact in 2019

PISCATAWAY, NJ - NOVEMBER 17: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions runs onto the field with his team before taking on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at HighPoint.com Stadium on November 17, 2018 in Piscataway, New Jersey. (Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images) /

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One year after losing Saquon Barkley to the NFL, Penn State was fortunate enough to replace him with a former five-star back in Miles Sanders and he didn’t disappoint in his first year as the starter.

In fact, Sanders rushed for 1,274 yards and nine touchdowns and looked like a go-to back in his first full season as starter but he used that breakout season to launch himself to the NFL. He decided to leave one year early, making the offensive output for 2019 a bit sketchy for the Nittany Lions both in the run and pass games.

Enter, Devyn Ford.

Obviously the Nittany Lions have some players who could step up to fill the void left by Sanders, such as sophomore Ricky Slade, but you can’t count out a talented incoming freshman like Ford who is ranked the No. 79 player in the class and the fifth-best running back.

Ford has a strong frame at 5-11, 195 pounds and could take over in the backfield when he steps foot on campus in the summer.

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