Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1524108
A U G U S T 2 0 2 4 4 5 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 / / / / / / / 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 most formidable recruiters of Sunshine State talent and is considered to be one of college football's top position coaches. Heading into the 2024 season, Seider had already enjoyed considerable success at Penn State, having helped shape Miles Sanders, Noah Cain, Journey Brown and Keyvone Lee into effective college ball carriers while devel- oping Singleton and Allen. Sanders would go on to become one of the top running backs in the NFL and was a priority free agent acquisition of the Carolina Panthers before the 2023 season. Seider has turned down other coaching op- portunities throughout his six seasons with the Nittany Lions, including two jobs with promi- nent Florida programs. He now holds three titles at PSU. In addition to serving as running backs coach, he's also listed as a co-offensive coordinator and assistant head coach. RETURNING SCHOLARSHIP PLAYERS KAYTRON ALLEN Jr. | 5-11 | 229 • Started seven games and carried a team- high 172 times for 902 yards and 6 touch- downs in 2023 while adding 14 catches for 81 yards and a score. Was a second-team All-Big Ten selection. • Totaled a season-high 137 yards on only 15 rushing attempts against Michigan State, including a season-long carry of 50 yards. • Ran for 867 yards and 10 touchdowns as a freshman in 2022 while also totaling 20 catches for 188 yards and a score. • Season highlights as a freshman included a 3-touchdown afternoon at Indiana and a 2-touchdown performance against Auburn. In addition, Allen had 117 yards on 11 car- ries at Rutgers, including carries of 32 and 59 yards. • Twice earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors, first against Central Michigan and then at Rutgers. • Was an honorable mention All-Big Ten choice by the media and shared the team's offensive MVP honor. NICHOLAS SINGLETON Jr. | 6-0 | 227 • Was a seven-game starter as a sophomore in 2023 and amassed a team-high 8 rushing touchdowns while totaling 752 yards on 171 carries. Added 26 receptions for 308 yards and 2 touchdowns and also returned 13 kickoffs for an average of 24.1 yards per attempt. • Rushed for a season-high 118 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries against Michigan State. • Finished with 1,061 yards and 12 touch- downs on the ground as a freshman in 2022. • Emerged as a home run threat for Penn State in 2022, including a 70-yard sprint against Ohio for his first career score, as well as subsequent touchdown runs of 27, 30, 44, 45, 54 and 87 yards. • Averaged 24.9 yards as a kick returner, in- cluding a game-breaking 100-yard score in the Nittany Lions' win at Rutgers. • Earned Big Ten Thompson-Randle El Fresh- man of the Year honors. CAM WALLACE R-Fr. | 5-9 | 198 • Led all ball carriers with 36 yards on 7 car- ries in the 2024 Blue-White Game. • Saw no game action during his first season at Penn State and preserved his freshman eligibility for the 2024 campaign. • Was rated a three-star prospect by all the major recruiting services. Listed in the On3 Industry Ranking as the No. 73 running back and No. 101 player in Georgia for the class of 2023. • Was part of a Georgia Class A state champi- onship team in the 4x200-meter relay. • Picked Penn State over Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Michigan State and Indiana. NEWCOMERS QUINTON MARTIN JR. Fr. | 6-1 | 202 • Had 6 carries for 34 yards and 2 touch- downs while playing for both the Blue and White squads in Penn State's spring game. • Earned four-star status in the On3 Industry Ranking coming out of Belle Vernon (Pa.) High, along with the No. 99 spot among all prospects nationally, No. 2 spot among ath- letes and No. 3 ranking in Pennsylvania. • Was a captain as a senior and led his team to WPIAL and PIAA Class AAA titles in 2023. • Rushed for 1,181 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior, while also totaling 53 recep- tions for 764 yards and 11 scores and win- ning all-state honors for the third time. • Rushed for 1,279 yards and 22 touchdowns as a junior, while also catching 28 passes for 424 yards and 6 touchdowns. COREY SMITH Fr. | 5-10 | 179 • Earned four-star status in the On3 Indus- try Ranking, along with the No. 369 spot among all prospects nationally, No. 28 list- ing among running backs and No. 3 ranking in Wisconsin. • Played on Catholic Memorial teams that reached the Wisconsin state semifinals as a senior and the final as a junior. • Missed most of 2023 season with a broken collarbone but had a 74-yard touchdown reception against Martin Luther High in the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Associa- tion playoffs. • Totaled more than 1,600 all-purpose yards his junior season and had 1,800 yards as a sophomore. January enrollee Quinton Martin Jr. took part in spring practice and impressed in the Blue-White Game, finishing with 34 yards and 2 touchdowns on just 6 carries. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER