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Penn State gains commitment from five-star Virginia running back

Devyn Ford, a 5-foot-11, 195-pound running back from Stafford, Va., is the second five-star high school back from Virginia to sign with the Nittany Lions is as many years and will join the class of 2019.

Penn State football coach James Franklin gets another oral commitment.
Penn State football coach James Franklin gets another oral commitment.Read moreCAMERON HART / For the Inquirer

Penn State picked up an oral commitment Friday for its incoming class of 2019 from five-star running back Devyn Ford, of North Stafford High School in Stafford, Va.

The 5-foot-11, 195-pound Ford had narrowed his choices to two schools – Penn State and Virginia Tech. He made his announcement inside the auditorium of his high school, unzipping and removing a jacket to reveal a Penn State shirt underneath.

Ford's commitment means the Nittany Lions have signed the top high school running back in Virginia two years in a row. Ricky Slade of Woodbridge, Va., another five-star back, signed last December with Penn State and will enroll this summer.

Ford, who rushed for 2,056 yards and scored 32 touchdowns last season, is rated five stars by Rivals and four stars by 247Sports. He is considered the nation's top running back by Rivals and No. 3 in the country by 247Sports.

Ford is the fifth player overall to commit to Penn State's class of 2019 and second in less than 24 hours. Jaquan Brisker, ranked as the No. 1 junior college safety in the nation, announced Thursday night that he had given an oral commitment to the Nittany Lions.

Brisker, who plays for Lackawanna College in Scranton and lives in Monroeville, Pa., chose the Lions over Alabama , Mississippi, Pittsburgh, Maryland and West Virginia, among other schools. He is rated three stars by 247Sports, which ranked him as the nation's No. 1 junior college safety and the No. 9 junior college player overall.

Penn State did lose out Friday on another of its prime targets when 6-4, 275-pound defensive end Antonio Alfano of Colonia, N.J., committed to Alabama.