Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1531683
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 5 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M on Jan. 13 that he had decided to delay his NFL career. "We have accomplished a lot here, and we took another big step forward this season, but we know we are capable of being even better," Singleton said. "After discussing my football future with my family, I have decided to re- turn to Penn State for the 2025 season. We still have goals we want to reach as a team, and I want to be alongside my teammates as we reach those goals." Prior to his announcement, Single- ton had been hailed as a likely Day 2 draft pick, placing sixth among running backs in Mel Kiper's rankings for ESPN. Now he'll have a chance to move up as he eyes the 2026 draft. Singleton's return would by itself have lifted the spirits of Penn State fans still saddened by the season's abrupt end, but his announcement was soon followed by another: Fellow running back Kaytron Allen was coming back, too. Allen had been opening eyes through- out Penn State's playoff run. In the Nittany Lions' quarterfinal matchup against Boise State, he gained 134 yards on the ground. That was 30 yards more than Heisman Trophy runner-up Ash- ton Jeanty amassed, and Allen did it on 13 fewer carries. The junior also had 70 yards and 2 touchdowns in Penn State's play- off opener against SMU and 82 yards against Notre Dame. He was listed by Kiper as the fifth-best running back in the 2025 draft, and by holding off for a year he'll have a chance to improve that assessment. "Throughout my life, my family and support system have been critical in helping me in my football journey," he said. "Through discussions with them, my coaches and teammates, it's clear that we still have a lot more to accom- plish as a team at Penn State." There had been speculation that the Nittany Lions might be able to retain one or the other, but having both Sin- gleton and Allen in their backfield for a fourth year always felt like a longshot. That's because it appeared as though the primary reason for one to come back was that the other was leaving, thus making the returnee the undisputed leader of the running backs room. But maybe that thinking was wrong all along. Singleton and Allen have had a highly effective partnership ever since their arrival in 2022. This past year, the Lions led the Big Ten and ranked 18th in the FBS in rushing offense at 202.3 yards per game. Moreover, they've done it as true equals. Over the past three seasons, Singleton has amassed 499 carries and Allen 559. Singleton has 2,912 yards and 32 touchdowns, while Allen has 2,877 yards and 24 scores. Singleton has more catches (78 versus 52) and more receiv- ing yards (768 versus 422) than Allen, and he's been a bigger special teams contributor, averaging 24.2 yards on 41 kickoff returns in his career. But as indicated by that 35-yard disparity in their rushing totals after three seasons, they've been on a roughly equal footing as a backfield tandem since virtually the start of their careers. There's no reason to think it will be any different in 2025. Singleton doesn't want to end his career in a somber me- dia room, with some other team's fight song ringing in everyone's ears. If Penn State is going to avoid that fate, he and Allen will have to continue taking turns hammering away at opposing defenses. The good news for PSU is that team- ing up to overpower opponents is ex- actly what its two star running backs do best. "I think Nick and Kaytron have devel- oped a really good relationship," Frank- lin said. "That's not always the case. It could be adversarial, but they've been really good friends both on and off the field. I think they are complementary pieces to each other." ■ Singleton And Allen By The Numbers Nicholas Singleton Kaytron Allen Opponent Att. Yds. Avg. TD Long Att. Yds. Avg. TD Long West Virginia 13 114 8.8 1 40 10 20 2.0 0 5 Bowling Green 13 119 9.2 1 41 14 101 7.2 0 26 Kent State 11 81 7.4 0 18 11 66 6.0 0 13 Illinois 16 94 5.9 1 14 18 102 5.7 1 14 UCLA — — — — — 21 78 3.7 1 11 USC 10 26 2.6 0 10 16 56 3.5 1 8 Wisconsin 12 49 4.1 0 18 11 86 7.8 1 24 Ohio State 6 15 2.5 0 4 12 27 2.3 0 7 Washington 7 45 6.4 0 13 20 98 4.9 1 17 Purdue 7 40 5.7 1 10 6 20 3.3 0 11 Minnesota 13 63 4.8 1 15 7 10 1.4 0 8 Maryland 13 87 6.7 2 18 13 34 2.6 0 10 Oregon 10 105 10.5 0 41 14 124 8.9 1 32 SMU 14 90 6.4 1 18 11 70 6.4 2 25 Boise State 12 87 7.3 1 58 17 134 7.9 0 23 Notre Dame 15 84 5.6 3 13 19 82 4.3 0 20 Totals 172 1,099 6.4 12 58 220 1,108 5.0 8 32