Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1537537
4 2 A U G U S T 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / 2 0 2 5 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 ★★★★★ Both Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton will be stars in coordinator Andy Kotelnicki's offense this fall. There's a chance the senior duo will take on a Tyler Warren-type role at the center of the team's trick packages and wildcat looks. The dynamic of having Single- ton and a faster-than-last-year Allen racing off in different directions should put stress on defenses. The question is, how much more does the duo have to give in the passing game? How far can PSU's offense go if Singleton and Allen dominate snaps on the ground and become even bigger factors in the passing attack? If Allen and Singleton can handle even more of the offensive workload and are effective catching the ball out of the backfield, there's almost no limit to the number of touches they will get. EXPERIENCE ★★★★ It's never been easier for a dissatisfied player to transfer, so there's something truly remarkable about how Penn State has been able to keep the Singleton-Allen combina- tion together for four years. It likely helps that both have gotten plenty of carries. Al- len has amassed 559 attempts in 42 games, while Singleton has totaled 499 in 41 games. There's only been one drawback to hav- ing such a productive duo at the top of the depth chart, and it's that no one else has gotten much run. After Singleton and Allen, the team's most experienced running back is redshirt freshman Corey Smith with 22 career carries. DEPTH ★★★★ Penn State's redshirt freshman duo, Quin- ton Martin Jr. and Smith, didn't show overt progress in spring practice. While it's impos- sible to gauge the mental growth they un- derwent, the main issue is physical. Neither player added the necessary lean weight to become a more well-rounded player. Martin is the bigger of the two, but at 6-foot-1, his 206 pounds don't go as far. Smith is up to 193, but he's still the lightest running back on the roster by 11 pounds. The good news here for PSU is that true freshman Tikey Hayes does not struggle with Big Ten size. He's two inches shorter than Martin but is already 204 pounds. He's actually lost weight since enrolling, shed- ding some high school body fat now that he's in a Power Four weight program. He also flashed the ability to make plays this spring. Barring an injury, Singleton and Allen will do most of the work, just as they did last year when they combined to account for 63.7 percent of Penn State's carries and 88.1 percent of the carries by running backs. But the Lions would feel even better about their backfield if one of the other five scholarship running backs emerged as a rising star in the weeks and months ahead. OVERALL GRADE ★★★★★ A lot of people were surprised when Singleton and Allen both opted to return for their senior seasons at Penn State, but it's been a highly productive partnership for the past three seasons, and this year could be their best yet with PSU set to return its strongest offensive line of the James Frank- lin coaching era. ESPN.com listed Singleton as the second-best running back in college football this year and Allen third-best. Pro Football Focus has Singleton third and Allen sixth. ESPN color analyst Greg McElroy has Allen third and Singleton fourth. No matter how you rank its top two contributors, the Penn State backfield is loaded this fall. Quinton Martin Jr. will be looking to make a bigger contribution in 2025 after playing in four regular- season games and two playoff contests as a true freshman. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS BY THE NUMBERS 10th Nicholas Singleton's place on Penn State's career rushing list with 2,912 yards. Kaytron Allen is right behind him in 11th place with 2,877 yards. Both are within reach of the Nittany Lions' all-time leader, Evan Royster, who totaled 3,932 yards from 2007-10. 92.5 Allen's rushing grade over the past two seasons, per Pro Football Focus. It's the second-best mark among current Power Four running backs. Allen has amassed 1,266 yards after contact over that same span, third- most among returning Power Four ball carriers. 3,237 Total rushing yards by Penn State last season. It was the second-highest total in program history, trailing only the 1971 team, which gained 3,347 yards on the ground behind the running of future NFL stars Lydell Mitchell and Franco Harris.