This article has been updated as of May 13, 2026 to correct an important timeline issue. Alonzo Ford Jr. was a Penn State defensive tackle who declared for the 2026 NFL Draft after the 2025 season. Harrison Wallace III, however, was no longer on Penn State’s roster for the 2025 season. Wallace transferred from Penn State to Ole Miss before that year, so his draft path belongs in a former-player context.
Alonzo Ford Jr. And The Penn State Defensive Line
Ford’s departure matters directly for Penn State’s 2026 defensive tackle room. He arrived from Old Dominion, missed the 2023 season because of injury, then played in Penn State’s defensive tackle rotation in 2024 and 2025.
Onward State reported that Ford played in all 12 regular-season games in 2025 and recorded 15 tackles, 0.5 sacks, a pass breakup, and an interception. ESPN’s public player page lists 18 tackles and one interception for his 2025 season. StateCollege.com’s draft profile summarized his Penn State career as 34 tackles, three quarterback pressures, and an interception across two active seasons.
Because those public sources differ slightly, the safest depth-chart conclusion is not a precise efficiency claim. It is that Ford was part of the interior rotation and that Penn State had to replace his snaps after he left for the draft process.
Defensive Tackle Replacement Context
The 2026 defensive tackle room should be evaluated around current Penn State players and transfers, not around Ford. Siale Taupaki, Dallas Vakalahi, Keanu Williams, Alijah Carnell, De’Andre Cook, Liam Andrews, Ty Blanding, and other active roster names are the relevant group.
That does not mean one player automatically replaces Ford. The more accurate framing is committee competition. Interior defensive line roles depend on run fits, pad level, strength, health, and how the staff divides nose tackle and three-technique responsibilities.
Harrison Wallace III Timeline
Older versions of this article incorrectly framed Wallace as leaving the 2025 Penn State roster. Public transfer coverage and draft profiles show a different path: Wallace played at Penn State through the 2024 season, transferred to Ole Miss, and then moved into the 2026 NFL Draft process after his Ole Miss season.
Wallace remains relevant to Penn State as a former Nittany Lion receiver. His departure from Penn State affected the receiver room before the 2025 season, not after it. That distinction matters because current Penn State receiver analysis should not treat him as a 2025 production loss.
Receiver Room Impact
For Penn State’s 2026 depth chart, the wide receiver conversation should focus on players who were actually part of the post-2025 reset: Trebor Pena, Devonte Ross, Keith Jones Jr., Koby Howard, Chase Sowell, and other current roster options.
Wallace can be mentioned in historical receiver attrition, but he should not be used as a reason the 2026 staff suddenly lost a 2025 Penn State deep threat. By 2025, his on-field production was tied to Ole Miss.
Sources and update notes
This update was checked against Onward State’s Ford draft-declaration report, StateCollege.com’s Ford draft profile, ESPN’s Ford player page, public Harrison Wallace III transfer and Ole Miss draft-profile coverage, and Penn State roster references. It removes unsupported depth-chart forecasts and the inaccurate claim that Wallace was part of Penn State’s 2025 receiving group.