From Food to Fuente, Blue-Chip 2019 RB Devyn Ford Eyes the Hokies Early

At just 5'11" and 185 pounds, 2019 RB Devyn Ford of Virginia's North Stafford HS doesn't exactly look like the sort of guy who can hit the dining hall hard.

But ask him about his favorite part of his most recent trip to Virginia Tech this spring, and he doesn't hesitate.

"They have a lot of food there, so I enjoyed that," Ford told The Key Play with a smile during "The Opening" regional camp at Northern Virginia's Centreville HS on Sunday.

Ford says he got to sample some of Blacksburg's culinary options during his April 20 visit to Tech, which he estimates was his fifth trip to campus, even though he's not yet a senior. Clearly, whether it's the food or the rest of the program's amenities, the Hokies have an early start on impressing one of the top backs in the 2019 class.

But this latest trip was all about getting a look at how Justin Fuente and company run a spring practice, and Ford says he enjoyed the chance to "just see how the offense works." In particular, he tried to keep a close eye on exactly how Fuente and offensive coordinator Brad Cornelsen use their running backs, and he could barely keep up with all the possible options.

"They use their running backs a lot of different ways," Ford said. "Out of the backfield, play action, zones, power, everything."

In Fuente's first year, the coaching staff didn't settle on using just one running back in all those different ways. RB Travon McMillian got the most run, but Sam Rogers, Jerod Evans and even Cam Phillips all chipped in to help carry the running load.

Should he become a Hokie, Ford says the Hokies wouldn't need to turn to all those different players to generate a ground game. Instead, RBs coach Zohn Burden, in particular, would prefer to rely just on Ford himself.

"(Burden) just said I have the ability to run all the plays myself, that's why he sees me fitting there," Ford said. "Of course, you have most colleges, they get backs of different varieties and they can do different things. But if they get one back who can do it all, that's pretty good."

The Hokies have a pair of intriguing options joining the squad this season in Terius Wheatley and Jalen Holston, but there's no guarantee either will seize the starting spot by the time Ford might arrive on campus.

But, considering that 247Sports has already rated him a 4-star prospect, Ford could be well-positioned to become Tech's bell-cow back of the future.

Accordingly, Fuente is putting a premium on building a relationship with the young RB, and he seems to have made an early impact.

"Coach Fuente's just a cool man," Ford said. "I can tell from sitting down and talking with him one-on-one, we can have a good conversation. Not even about football, or just about family, everything. It's a good relationship with him."

But the Hokies certainly have plenty of competition for Ford's services — everywhere from Clemson to Ohio State to USC has offered him so far.

Yet, with his recent Tech trip in the rearview, Ford isn't planning on taking any other visits just now. Even with the summer nearing, and all the visits and camps that normally come with that time of year for high-profile recruits, he says has no plans just yet.

"No games, no summer practices — I just don't know right now," Ford said.