Penn State Sports Magazine
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4 8 M A R C H 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M sylvania. He also amassed 6,326 career rushing yards, making him one of only 34 players in Pennsylvania history to top 6,000 yards on the ground. The only thing he didn't accomplish was winning a state championship. Governor Mifflin was on the doorstep of doing so his junior season, but a late comeback by eventual state champion Pine-Richland in the semifinals kept him from reaching that goal. "It's the only thing that I really feel like I missed out on," he said. "I wanted that so bad for my school, my coaches, my teammates. We were so close my junior year and really could have done it [my senior] year, too. I wish I could have that game back." Individually, Singleton took home an assortment of awards. In addition to be- ing named the national Offensive Player of the Year by both the All-American Bowl and the Maxwell Football Club, he was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for the country. Previous winners of the latter award include Pro Foot- ball Hall of Famers Peyton Manning and Emmitt Smith, as well as current Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray. On top of that, former Penn State running back Saquon Barkley was the one who informed him that he'd been selected. "Man, I was speechless. I had no idea that was coming," Singleton said. "I thought Saquon was just there to con- gratulate me for winning the Pennsylva- nia award. It was really cool having him tell me about that. It meant a lot." Now, Singleton hopes to outdo Bar- kley's accomplishments at Penn State, and he's already begun working toward that goal, having enrolled at University Park in January. "I'm definitely coming in to play early," he said. "I want to start right away." ■ NICK SINGLETON RB | 6-0 | 215 GOVERNOR MIFFLIN HIGH SHILLINGTON, PA. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE consensus ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 25 1 1 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 16 1 1 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 56 3 2 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 43 2 1 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 19 1 1 STATISTICS • Finished with 2,049 rushing yards and 41 touchdowns on only 165 carries as a senior at Governor Mifflin. • Averaged 13.2 yards per touch and scored once every 3.89 times he handled the ball. • As a junior, rushed for 1,311 yards and 22 touchdowns on 107 carries. • Finished his four-year career with 6,326 rushing yards and 115 touchdowns. NOTABLE • Named the 2021-22 Gatorade National Football Player of the Year. • Picked as the Maxwell Football Club's Na- tional High School Offensive Player of the Year. • 2022 U.S. Army All-American. •Three-time Class 5A all-state selection. RECRUITMENT • Committed to Penn State on July 6, 2021. • Chose the Nittany Lions over Notre Dame, Alabama, Wisconsin and Texas A&M. • Took five official visits in June 2021 to all five finalist schools: Wisconsin, Penn State, Notre Dame, Texas A&M and Alabama. 2022 PROJECTION As the nation's top-rated running back in the class of 2022, the projection is for Singleton to be a star player for Penn State. He possesses a rare combination of size, speed, power and smarts. With eight months on campus to pre- pare for his first game, he could have an oppor- tunity to make an immediate impact. THEY SAID IT Jeff Lang, Governor Mifflin head coach: "He's a great kid, a great running back and a kid of character. He's competitive and is going to take care of business. The way he practices and ap- proaches the game, he shows everyone what it takes to win. He'll have high expectations for his teammates and himself." Charles Power, On3 director of scouting and rankings: "Singleton thoroughly impressed at the All-American Bowl, despite the limitations of the practice setting. He also showed soft hands and some natural receiving ability out of the backfield. This supplements his sterling on-field resume, which saw him named the Gatorade National Player of the Year as a senior. There looks to be a decent gap between Singleton and the next running back in the cycle." BWI analyst Thomas Frank Carr: "Singleton has the potential to take over games and elevate his team's performance based on his skills alone. He blends speed, power and patience into a deadly package. With work as a receiver and blocker, Singleton has the type of game to be a three- down player who can get you the yards you need, no matter the situation." Singleton, the Gatorade National Player of the Year, rushed for 2,049 yards and 41 touchdowns and averaged 12.4 yards per carry as a senior at Governor Mifflin High School. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER "I'm definitely coming in to play early. I want to start right away." S I N G L E T O N