Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1524108
4 4 A U G U S T 2 0 2 4 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / 2 0 2 4 F O O T B A L L P R E V I E W / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / PRESEASON ANALYSIS ★★★★★ National Title; ★★★★ Top 10; ★★★ Top 25; ★★ Too Unproven; ★ Major Concern STARTERS ★★★★★ The Nittany Lions return junior co-starters Kay- tron Allen and Nicholas Singleton. Allen finished fifth in the Big Ten with 902 rushing yards last year and was a second-team all-conference pick, while Singleton was 10th with 752 yards and received third-team honors. The Big Ten is loaded with outstanding running backs, especially with four new West Coast programs in the fold, but many schools would be thrilled to have either one of these players on their roster, and Penn State has both. They can run with power and finesse and can also be used out of the backfield as receivers. Skeptics might argue that neither one possesses true breakaway speed like some of their peers across the sport. Still, if that's the only knock, it's absolutely fair to say that this combo is worthy of a five-star grade in our rating system. EXPERIENCE ★★★★ Few programs anywhere in the county can claim to have two third-year co-starters who have received significant accolades during their first two seasons on campus. Penn State is one of them. However, unlike a year ago when redshirt senior Trey Potts transferred in from Minnesota to bring a veteran presence to the room, there was no such addition this offseason. It could be argued that the Nittany Lions didn't need to go looking for more depth considering that Single- ton and Allen have played in 52 games between them. Nevertheless, the drop-off in game reps after the top duo is steep indeed. None of the three other scholarship players in the Penn State running backs room — redshirt freshman Cam Wallace and true freshmen Quinton Martin Jr. and Corey Smith — have seen action at the col- lege level yet. DEPTH ★★★ Either one of Penn State's top two running backs could handle a bigger role if the other were to get hurt. For position coach Ja'Juan Seider, that's got to be a comforting realization. As for the oth- ers, Wallace had an outstanding spring and has showed signs he is ready to fill the No. 3 role. He is a big-bodied player who packs 198 pounds onto a 5-foot-9 frame, and he also catches the ball well. Classmate London Montgomery left the program via the transfer portal following spring practice and is now at East Carolina, leaving Martin and Smith to fill out the depth chart. Martin was a do- everything star at Belle Vernon (Pa.) High, and there are hopes that he will be able to contribute in Year 1. OVERALL GRADE ★★★★ It seems as though Singleton and Allen only recently arrived in State College, but in reality, this could very well be the final college season for both of them. They will be eligible for the NFL Draft following the 2024 campaign, and it's rare these days for draft-worthy running backs to stick around at the college level. New offensive coor- dinator Andy Kotelnicki will be eager to use those two, plus Wallace and Martin, in ways that could alleviate the team's concerns at wide receiver. Penn State was rated by Lindy's as having the fourth-best backfield in the country, while Athlon lists the Nittany Lions second behind Ohio State. Those are lofty expectations, but PSU has the po- tential to back them up. BY THE NUMBERS 5 Games during the 2023 season in which the Nittany Lions surpassed 200 yards rushing as a team. While Kaytron Allen topped the 100-yard pla- teau on only two occasions, and Nicholas Singleton did so just once, the combination of those two run- ners, plus backup Trey Potts and a talented running quarterback in then-redshirt freshman Beau Pribula, kept PSU's ground game on the move. 24 Rushing touchdowns last year by players who are returning for the 2024 season. Penn State scored 26 rushing TDs as a team, with Singleton and Allen combining to account for 14. Pribula (6), fellow quarterback Drew Allar (4) and Potts (2) scored the others. Of those players, only Potts has departed. 184.8 Rushing yards per game by Penn State during the 2023 season. That was the highest average in the Big Ten and the 28th-best mark in the FBS. With then-sophomore Kaytron Allen leading the way, Penn State surpassed 200 yards rushing in five games last season. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL