Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1524108
A U G U S T 2 0 2 4 4 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / R U N N I N G B A C K S / / / / / / / 2023 vs. 2024: Stock Up Or Down? The players at the top level of Penn State's depth chart are unchanged from last year. Indeed, the personnel situation in PSU's backfield has been more or less the same since the early stages of the 2022 season when then-freshman Nicholas Singleton and classmate Kaytron Allen leapfrogged Keyvone Lee and became, essentially, co-starters. In an era of virtually unlimited player mobility, it's impressive that James Franklin and his staff have managed to keep this arrangement intact for two years, going on three. What has changed is Penn State's offensive leadership. Andy Kotelnicki has arrived from Kansas, where he helped transform the Jayhawks' of- fense into one of the best in the Big 12. They ranked eighth in the FBS in rushing offense a year ago (211.3 yards per game), and Devin Neal was eighth in both yards per carry (6.61) and rushing touchdowns (15). In Singleton and Allen, the Lions' new coordinator has two veterans who have proven they can carry the offense. This summer, Penn State's backfield has been garnering praise as one of the nation's best. Athlon ranks it second behind Ohio State, while Lindy's has it fourth, noting that both Singleton and Allen "are capable of 1,000- yard seasons on the ground in the same year." Never in Penn State history have two running backs topped 1,000 yards in the same season. But before writing off Lindy's suggestion as hyper- bole, consider that they nearly did it as true freshmen, with Singleton reaching the plateau and Allen falling only 133 yards short. With both players back and a creative new coach in charge of their de- ployment, the backfield's stock is up in 2024. X-Factor Can the Penn State ground game regain its big-play capability under Kotelnicki? Two years ago, Singleton had 6 rushes of 30 or more yards and averaged a gaudy 6.8 yards per carry. Allen, though lacking Singleton's sixth gear, had 3 runs of 30 or more yards and averaged 5.2. Last year, Singleton's longest run from scrimmage covered 24 yards, and his per-carry average declined to 4.4. Allen's average held steady at 5.2 yards, but even so, Penn State's rushing attack was far less proficient at generating big plays. Kotelnicki was brought in to fix that deficiency. Last season, 24.6 per- cent of the Jayhawks' plays covered 10 yards or more, a figure that ranked eighth nationally. They were 15th nationally in percentage of plays cover- ing 30 or more yards (4.31). If Penn State is going to improve, Singleton and Allen will have to be a big part of that turnaround. Freshman Outlook A year ago, Singleton and Allen combined for 343 carries, while Minne- sota transfer Trey Potts received 25. Potts was a veteran with four years of college experience under his belt when he joined the Nittany Lions for his final season, but there weren't a lot of opportunities playing behind a pair of established running backs. That dynamic could play out again in 2024, but it's hardly a fore- gone conclusion, even with all of the scholarship running backs behind Singleton and Allen holding freshman eligibility. Redshirt freshman Cam Wallace earned praise from the coaching staff for his performance this spring, while January enrollee Quinton Martin Jr. offers versatility, having amassed nearly 1,500 receiving yards during his career at Belle Vernon (Pa.) High. Singleton and Allen are almost certainly playing their final college sea- son, so the staff will want to get a look at what it brings back in 2025. Scholarship Players (5) No. Player Yr. Ht. Wt. 13 Kaytron Allen Jr. 5-11 229 25 Quinton Martin Jr. Fr. 6-1 202 10 Nicholas Singleton Jr. 6-0 227 24 Corey Smith Fr. 5-10 179 26 Cam Wallace R-Fr. 5-9 198 Cam Wallace didn't see any game action as a true freshman last fall but appears poised for a bigger role in 2024 after a strong showing in spring practice. PHOTO BY SEAN FITZ "It's kind of funny when you talk to him, but when Kaytron starts talking to you, you can see how he gets excited about doing different things in the offense. He's good. "They're both good running backs," Kotelnicki added. "All the characteristics you [associate with] good running backs, those guys have." Each one can envision a role that's all his own and yet complementary to the other. And, at the very least, both seem destined this season to be more involved in the passing game than ever before. "You get to do a lot of different things [in Kotelnicki's offense]," Allen said. "It isn't just you standing in the backfield. You could be in the slot. You could be the outside receiver. You're just doing differ- ent types of things to show our talents. It's a great offense." Now, it's about translating those com- pliments into yards. Both have done so throughout their first two seasons. Both are ready to take their game to another level. If they do, it will take the Penn State offense to another level, too. ■