Penn State football has landed a commitment from one of the top high school players in Pennsylvania.
Jackson Ford, a 6-foot-4, 240-pound EDGE from Malvern Prep, announced early Friday afternoon that he picked Penn State over fellow Big Ten schools Ohio State, Michigan and Wisconsin, amongst others.
247Sports ranks Ford as the No. 5 overall player in PA, the No. 22 EDGE in the country and the No. 202 overall player.
He’s the second player to commit to Penn State within the last 48 hours. Pierce Petersohn, a four-star TE from Minnesota, committed Wednesday.
Penn State has developed quite a reputation for quality EDGE play, and Ford is hoping to be next in line.
THE FORD REPORT
Here’s the scouting report on Ford, courtesy of 247Sports’ Andrew Ivins.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.“Force-based edge defender that has proven to be rather effective against the run as he slips off blocks and gets to the ball carrier. Looks the part with a sturdy 6-foot-4, 240-pound build and is likely to keep adding mass as he’s on the younger side for his grade. Not the most limber athlete, but has flashed the ability to plant and redirect as he flows forward. Can win with snap anticipation and will use an above average first-step to get into opponents. Quick to shoot the hands as a pass rusher and holsters a nifty spin move. Tends to create most of his pressures with pure effort and further technical development should only make him more valuable on passing downs as he’s still learning how to work in secondary moves after initially billing himself as more of a tight end. Could fit into a variety of different fronts and already has experience attacking from both a two and three-point stance. Projects as a potential multi-year contributor with all-conference upside at the Power Four level that can help set the edge and create negative plays.”
FORD ON PENN STATE
Ford told On3Sports that his relationship with DL coach Deion Barnes was a big factor in his commitment.
“I feel like the connection between me and Coach Barnes has been building for a while now and is really strong,” Ford said. “We’ve been talking for over a year now. Penn State was one of my first big offers. But since then, the plan that he’s laid out there and has shown me and my parents, it’s been really impactful. He sees my upside and plans to build on that over the coming years.”
“So, between that, and really just the connection I’ve built with Coach Barnes and Coach Franklin, that played a big part.”
Penn State now has 21 players committed to its 2026 Class.
