Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1464375
M A Y 2 0 2 2 3 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M around him. Among those who pushed him to constantly improve were Johnson, a former Nittany Lion who was fresh off a brief stint in the NFL, and George, who is now in his senior season at Pitt. "I always had that drive to work hard, to keep working," Singleton said. "I'm always getting better because there can always be improvement. But they always helped me get better and pushed me every single day." 'He's Going To Do Phenomenal Stuff' Singleton will get his first opportunity to show the fruits of that labor in front of Penn State fans at the Blue-White Game on April 23. He's already been at it in full, eliciting the praise of head coach James Franklin, offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich and strength coach Chuck Losey throughout his first few months in the program. But he'll need to wait a little longer to do it in front of a national audience, with the Nittany Lions set to begin the 2022 season on Sept. 1 at Purdue. In the meantime, Singleton will con- tinue to work. For all the superhero training numbers and eye-popping on-field performances that marked his rise, his greatest assets are the internal, intangible qualities that put him in position to succeed. That's what Miller believes, having watched Singleton's ascent. Miller sees athletic development as a two-way process, one that, for Singleton, is likely to pay even bigger dividends in the years to come. "I put a lot of time and effort into it per- sonally. It's people that give me that time and effort back that I value so much, and I think that's Nick to a tee. He sees that time and value," Miller said. "Everybody brings up this big picture … and he's going to do phenomenal stuff. All these crazy things can happen. "Everybody means a lot to me, but the people who give me back what I'm giv- ing them —they're the ones that mean the most. That's been Nick since Day 1. Sixth-grade Nick knew how to give me what I was asking of him. That's what's so special." ■ Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen are vying for carries in a crowded backfield. Drew Allar and Beau Pribula are competing with returnee Christian Veilleux to be the backup quarterback. Kaden Saunders looks as though he might be able to help solidify an inex - perienced wideout corps. At a number of key spots on offense, there is a true freshman or two already making a real push to appear on the depth chart this fall. And, in a reflection of the talent that Penn State is bringing in with this year's No. 7-ranked class, there's a con - tender on defense, too: Zane Durant. A defensive tackle prospect from Lake Nona, Fla., Durant has evoked comparisons to former Nittany Lion Kevin Givens, who now plays for the San Francisco 49ers. Both are a bit smaller than the typical defensive tackle, and both possess more strength than might be expected given their size. There is one key difference, however. Givens didn't play in 2015, his true freshman season, while Durant ap - pears to have put himself in position to see the field this coming fall. "If he keeps trending the way he is right now, I think he's going to have the chance to compete for playing time as a true freshman at D-tackle, which is unusual," coach James Franklin said. Certainly, Durant garnered some excitement when he committed to Penn State last July. He was the No. 306 overall prospect in the 2022 recruiting cycle according to the On3 Consensus and the No. 38 defensive lineman. Still, the impression he's made since enrolling in January has been striking, to say the least. Defensive line coach John Scott Jr. twice named Durant the top competi - tor during Penn State's on-field winter workouts. Along with Singleton, he drew praise from strength coach Chuck Losey for his performance in the weight room, too. "Those two guys, specifically — they've done some really good things ever since being on campus," Losey said. "I'm really pleased with them." Crucially, Durant has steadily added weight over the course of the offseason. On3 listed him at 255 pounds as a prospect. By the time he arrived at Penn State in January, he weighed 260 pounds. Now, he's listed at 6-foot-1, 265 pounds. "He's been able to put on size al - ready," Franklin said. "I think he's above 265 pounds already. I think that's going to continue to trend, and he's carrying it extremely well." In other respects, too, the transition to life at Penn State has been smooth. "He's just really adjusted well in a short period of time," Franklin said. "He hasn't shown signs of homesickness. He's hilarious. Mom and dad are hilarious. "I don't think the weather has affected him one bit, and as you know, when those guys show up in January, they're right in the middle of it. I've seen him in shorts more times than I've seen him not, and a kid out of Florida, that's inter - esting." — David Eckert Freshman Zane Durant Makes Impression On Defense Before arriving at Penn State in January, Durant received a four-star rating in the On3 Consensus coming out of Lake Nona (Fla.) High. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER