Tag: Alonzo Ford

Penn State defensive line depth takes hit with Alonzo Ford injury

Penn State will be without this transfer addition this season due to a reported injury.

As Penn State’s fall camp continues on with an eye on the season opener against West Virginia, the Nittany Lions are hoping to avoid getting seriously hit by injuries. Such was not the case this week with the news of a season-ending injury to one of its newest additions to the program from the transfer portal.

It was reported this week that defensive tackle [autotag]Alonzo Ford[/autotag] will miss the 2023 season due to a season-ending injury. The specifics of the injury were not revealed as Penn State does not share that information publicly. Blue-White illustrated was the first to report news of the injury but that report has been confirmed by multiple follow-up reports with confirmation from a Penn State spokesperson.

This is a tough blow for Ford. Ford transferred to Penn State this offseason from Old Dominion, and he was expected to be a good quality depth option for the defensive line upon his arrival. Ford was an honorable mention for All-Sun Belt in 2022. The good news for Ford is he has a redshirt season to use to avoid losing a year of eligibility this fall. It is expected he will use that and keep his two years of eligibility in play beyond the 2023 season.

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That is also good news for Penn State, which hopes to have Ford back and contributing in 2024 and potentially again in 2025.

How does this affect the depth?

Alonzo Ford wasn’t coming to Penn State to be a starter this season at defensive tackle, but he may have been one of the top backup options working his way into a bit of a rotation for defensive coordinator Manny Diaz.

Penn State’s starting defensive tackles for 2023 are expected to remain unchanged. Hakeem Beamon and Dvon Ellies should plug up the middle of the defensive line with Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac working on the edges. Ford would have been the second or third option behind Beamon in all likelihood. Other options will be Zane Durant and Jordan van den Berg.

The loss of Ford should lead to more opportunity for a player like Davon Townley Jr., who pulled himself out of the transfer portal this offseason after contemplating his departure from the program. This could also be an opportunity for freshmen Ty Blanding and redshirt freshman Kaleb Artis.

Penn State’s 2023 season kicks off on Saturday, Sept. 2 with a primetime matchup with West Virginia.

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2023 Penn State football snapshot profile: No. 50 Alonzo Ford Jr.

This former Old Dominion defensive tackle could fit right in with Penn State’s defensive line in 2023.

Going into the 2023 football season, Nittany Lions Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Penn State roster. Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for James Franklin this season.

Continuing this effort is a look at one of Penn State’s new additions from the transfer portal, [autotag]Alonzo Ford Jr.[/autotag] Ford joined Penn State this year from Old Dominion, where he earned All-Sun Belt honorable mention in 2022. Here is a snapshot look at Alonzo Ford Jr. entering his first season with the Nittany Lions.

Updated uniform numbers for Penn State football’s summer arrivals

What jersey numbers will Penn State’s latest additions be wearing this season? Here are the updated football jersey numbers.

Penn State’s roster continued to be rounded out with the recent addition of more members of its latest recruiting class and transfer additions officially joining the program. Some of the new additions should be key players for the upcoming season, including wide receiver Dante Cephas and cornerback Audavion Collins, each coming from FBS programs with the ability to plug a hole in the roster instantly. Others, like freshmen running backs London Montgomery and Cam Wallace, will add to the depth on the roster while waiting a bit longer to see their moment in the spotlight.

Now those new members of the Penn State family have confirmed jersey numbers for the 2023 season.

Here is a look at the officially confirmed uniform numbers for Penn State’s newest members to the program according to the team’s official online roster;

  • 3 – Dante Cephas, WR
  • 8 – DaKaari Nelson, S
  •  9 – King Mack, S
  • 23 – Trey Potts, RB
  • 24 – London Montgomery, RB
  • 26 – Cam Wallace, RB
  • 29 – Audavion Collins, CB
  • 39 – Ty Blanding, DT
  • 48 – Kaveion Keys, LB
  • 50 – Alonzo Ford, DT
  • 56 – Joseph Mupoyi, DE
  • 79 – Addison Penn, OL
  • 87 – Andrew Rappleyea, TE

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Old Dominion transfer DL Alonzo Ford commits to Penn State

Penn State picks up commitment from Alex Ford out of the transfer Portal to add depth to the defensive line.

Penn State was hoping to get some help with the depth of the defensive line out of the transfer portal, and now they have it. Alonzo Ford, a transfer from Old Dominion, shared his commitment to the Nittany Lions with a post on his Twitter account on Wednesday evening.

“Blessed and excited,” Ford said in a social media post. “Let’s get to work!”

Ford brings good size to the defensive line at 6′-3″ and 275-pounds following a solid tenure at Old Dominion under former Penn State offensive coordinator Ricky Rahne. Ford brings two years of eligibility to Happy Valley and should bring the competition at defensive tackle that head coach James Franklin was hoping to see this summer.

Last season saw Ford record 32 tackles with five TFL and 3.5 sacks. For his efforts, Ford received honorable mention as an All-Sun Belt player for the Monarchs.

Ford was a three-star recruit out of Varina High School in Richmond, VA in 2020. He is the sixth addition to the roster out of the transfer portal for Penn State this year joining wide receivers Malik McClain (Florida State) and Dante Cephas (Kent State), kicker Alex Felkins (Columbia), punter Riley Thompson (FAU), and running back Trey Potts (Minnesota). Ford is the second defensive player to commit to Penn State out of the transfer portal, but defensive back Storm Duck re-entered the transfer portal after spring football practices and has since moved on to a commitment to Louisville.

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