Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1490816
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 3 2 7 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M KEY LOSSES Devyn Ford Left the team in October to fo- cus on academics but did not en- ter the transfer portal during the postseason window that closed on Jan. 18. The Stafford, Va., na- tive rushed 140 times for 666 yards and 6 touchdowns in four seasons with the Nittany Lions. Keyvone Lee Played in just five games last fall due to an injury, then en- tered the transfer portal in mid- January. In three seasons at Penn State, Lee had 222 carries for 1,062 yards and 6 touchdowns. KEY RETURNEES Nicholas Singleton | So. Rushed for 1,061 yards and 12 touchdowns in his first collegiate season, winning Big Ten Fresh- man of the Year honors. Kaytron Allen | So. Rushed for 867 yards and 10 scores in his debut season. Al- len's 167 carries were actually 11 more than Singleton received. NEWCOMERS London Montgomery | Fr. Missed all of his senior season after suffering an ACL injury in Scranton (Pa.) Prep's opener. Montgomery scored 62 touch- downs during his high school career. Cameron Wallace | Fr. Was a late addition to Penn State's 2023 recruiting class out of Montgomery County (Ga.) High. Wallace earned Class A Division II all-state honors as a senior. He also was the Class A Division II defensive player of the year, but his future in college is on offense. 2023 Outlook Penn State enters the new year with one of the top running back tandems in the nation. Among Big Ten teams, PSU's backfield prowess could rival that of Michigan, where Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards are both set to return. Offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich and running backs coach Ja'Juan Seider skillfully mixed Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen throughout the fall and also in Penn State's 35-21 win over Utah in the Rose Bowl. While there were games in which one outshined the other, Singleton's speed and Allen's bulldozing running style kept defenses stymied in almost every contest. More of the same is expected next fall … and in 2024, too. One of the most encouraging aspects of the run- ning backs' development to date is that both have at least two more seasons in which to continue making improvements. Heading into their sophomore seasons, it appears they have just begun to scratch the surface of their potential. "I think it was a great season, but there are a lot of things I can be better at," Allen said in December. "I can't wait for after the bowl game to see what I can get way better at." Likewise, Singleton said he feels as though his freshman season "sets me up great" for the year to come. Keyvone Lee, who led the Nittany Lions in rushing his first two years on campus, was happy to serve as a mentor to the freshmen while he was recovering from an undisclosed injury. Lee was the only experienced running back on the team after Devyn Ford left at midseason to focus on his grades, and as the third-year sophomore noted in December, "I had to take them under my wings and just be a leader." Lee also wants to play, though, and his decision to enter the transfer portal in January was not a surprise. His exit leaves PSU with two incoming freshmen to provide depth: London Montgomery and Cameron Wallace. Montgomery will likely still be recovering from an ACL tear when he arrives, while the 5-foot-10, 170-pound Wallace will look to add weight. They won't be expected to have a major on-field impact in 2023, but they'll be able to learn and grow as players now that Singleton and Allen have become the leaders. — Greg Pickel PSU's Terrific Twosome Plots Its Encore Nicholas Singleton won Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors after finishing fifth in the conference in rushing with 1,061 yards. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE 2023 LOOK AHEAD RUNNING BACKS