Alonzo Ford Jr. didn’t get to show much on the field last season, and it wasn’t the Penn State DTs fault.
Weeks before the season started, it was revealed that Ford suffered a season-ending injury.
It was a crushing blow for a player who started his career at a low-level DI school, then impressed coach James Franklin enough to earn an offer from Penn State, which turned into a signing.
But Ford is back this season, and if his health holds up, he’d add a big body to what should be a deep Penn State defensive line. Ford is the subject of All 105, a Nittany Sports Now series profiling each Penn State player.
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 319 pounds
Hometown: Richmond, Virginia
Before Penn State
Old Dominion: The Richmond, Virginia native started his career roughly an hour and a half from home at Old Dominion. He was a Week 1 starter at ODU, starting all 13 games a true freshman in 2021. The next season, he started in 12 games and was named honorable mention all-Sun Belt, ending the year with 32 tackles, five tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. He entered the transfer portal in the offseason and committed to Penn State in early May 2023.
High School: As a senior at Varina— which is also the alma mater of Penn State second-year LB Kavieon Keys— Ford was a first-team All-State selection on both the defensive and offensive line. He ended that senior season with 59 tackles— 20 for loss— and five sacks. Ford was a three-star recruit coming out of high school.
Where he stands: Penn State has plenty of depth and experience on the DL, with Dvon J-Thomas (formerly Ellies) and Hakeem Beamon each returning for their sixth season. Zane Durant, who made a name for himself as a regular starter in 2023, is back for his third season, and Penn State also has Coziah Izzard back for his fifth season. Ford will have to fight for playing time but 319 pounders don’t come along too often, so that size could help him get some reps.
A quote about Ford: “I think this summer, he’ll be full go. And I’m not talking about summer camp (in August), I’m talking about summer training.”
“His attitude has been great, he’s done really well in the classroom, he’s obviously lived in the treatment room,” Franklin said. “The strength staff has been able to work with him, the trainers have been working with him, everybody loves him. There’s just not a whole lot that we’ve been able to see up to this point, other than the stuff that we saw when we recruited him.” — James Franklin on Alonzo Ford Jr. after a practice this spring.
More All 105s
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