Blue White Illustrated

August 2022

Penn State Sports Magazine

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A U G U S T 2 0 2 2 41 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M RUNNING BACKS PERSONNEL POSITION COACH Ja'Juan Seider: A quarterback at both West Virginia and Florida A&M, Seider took his first coaching job overseeing the running backs at Glades Central (Fla.) High in 2001. He is now one of the nation's top recruiters of Sunshine State talent and is considered to be among college football's best position coaches. The Nittany Lions were fortunate to land the Belle Glade, Fla., native in the first place. James Franklin had initially planned to have David Corley oversee the running backs in 2018, hiring the new assistant away from Army after Charles Huff left to join Joe Moor- head at Mississippi State. However, when Florida hired Dan Mullen after the 2017 sea- son, the Gator' previous staff was disbanded, and Seider became available. Penn State made a quick hire and reassigned Corley to the wide receivers. Seider has been a key part of Franklin's staff ever since. While he missed out on the chance to work with Saquon Barkley at Penn State, he developed Barkley's successor, Miles Sanders, into a second-round NFL Draft pick. Seider appears to have a big job ahead of him with the Nittany Lions this fall. Penn State needs its rushing attack to be leaps and bounds better than it was a year ago. The talent is undoubtedly there, but the produc- tion hasn't followed. That falls on the players, of course, but also on the man tasked with leading them. Seider has brought a wealth of talent to State College since arriving; accord- ing to the recruiting rankings, this year's group might be his best yet from top to bottom. But unrealized potential is a problem — one that the Nittany Lions must overcome this year. RETURNING SCHOLARSHIP PLAYERS KEYVONE LEE So. | 6-0 | 234 • Led Penn State in rushing each of his first two seasons on campus, totaling 438 yards as a true freshman in 2020 and 530 yards last season. • Turned in the Nittany Lions' most produc- tive rushing day of the 2021 season when he gained 88 yards on 20 carries against Michigan. • In 2020, his 134 yards against the Wolver- ines in Ann Arbor were the most for a Penn State freshman since Saquon Barkley had 194 against Ohio State in 2015. DEVYN FORD Jr. | 5-11 | 190 • Played in nine games during the 2021 sea- son, including a start at Iowa, and finished the season with 61 yards on 14 carries. • Led the Nittany Lions with 9 kick returns for 191 yards, including a season-long return of 36 yards against Michigan State. • Started five of the six games in which he played during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, ranking third on the team with 274 yards on 67 carries. CAZIAH HOLMES R-So. | 5-11| 216 • Redshirted in 2021, seeing action in only three games. • Netted a season-high 15 yards against Rutgers and also had 23 kick-return yards against Villanova. • Played in all nine games as a true freshman in 2020, finishing with 51 carries for 227 yards and 2 touchdowns. NEWCOMERS KAYTRON ALLEN Fr. | 5-11 | 216 • Surpassed 1,400 rushing yards and scored 27 touchdowns as a senior at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. • Totaled 515 rushing yards and 9 rushing touchdowns as a junior, while also catching 11 passes for 140 yards and a score. • Helped lead IMG Academy to a 26-2 record during his three seasons at the school. • Began his high school career at Norview (Va.) High, where he rushed for 1,465 yards and 16 touchdowns as a freshman. NICK SINGLETON Fr. | 6-0 | 219 • Rushed for a Berks County-record 6,326 yards in his four-year varsity career at Gover- nor Mifflin High in Shillington, Pa. • Was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year following his senior season. • Gained 2,059 yards and scored 44 rushing touchdowns in leading Governor Mifflin to a 10-1 record and a Berks Football League Sec- tion I title in 2021. • Totaled 1,311 rushing yards and scored 22 touchdowns as a junior. True freshman Nick Singleton enrolled in January and made his Beaver Stadium debut in the Blue-White Game this past April, finishing with a 27-yard pass reception. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL

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