Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1537537
A U G U S T 2 0 2 5 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 / / / / / / / PERSONNEL POSITION COACH Stan Drayton: A 32-year coaching vet- eran with experience in the Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and NFL, Drayton joined Penn State's staff in February after Ja'Juan Sei- der left for Notre Dame. Drayton was most recently the head coach at Temple. He spent nearly three seasons with the Owls, going 9-25 before being let go with two games remaining in the 2024 campaign. Prior to arriving in Philadelphia in 2022, he had spent most of his career as a running backs coach at both the college and pro levels. A Cleveland native and Allegheny College graduate, Drayton had stints at Mississippi State, Florida, Tennessee, Syracuse, Ohio State and Texas. He also coached the Chi- cago Bears' running backs in 2015 and '16. Drayton was part of Urban Meyer's staff at Ohio State in 2014 when the Buckeyes won the inaugural College Football Playoff championship. That year, Ezekiel Elliott ranked third nationally in rushing with 1,878 yards. Elliott was the Offensive MVP of the championship game, rushing for 246 yards and 4 touchdowns on 36 carries against Oregon. The year before, Drayton helped Carlos Hyde rush for 1,521 yards en route to winning Big Ten Running Back of the Year honors. At Texas, Bijan Robinson won first-team All-Big 12 honors in 2021 under Drayton's guidance, averaging 112.7 yards per game. RETURNING SCHOLARSHIP PLAYERS KAYTRON ALLEN Sr. | 5-11 | 217 • Enjoyed the most productive season of his career in 2024, totaling 1,108 yards and 8 touchdowns on 220 carries (5.0 yards per attempt), while also catching 18 passes for 153 yards and 2 scores. • Had a season-high 134 yards in Penn State's victory over Boise State in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. • Started seven games and carried a team-high 172 times for 902 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2023 while adding 14 catches for 81 yards and a score. • Ran for 867 yards and 10 touchdowns as a freshman in 2022 while also to- taling 20 catches for 188 yards and a score. QUINTON MARTIN JR. R-Fr. | 6-1 | 206 • Saw action in four regular-season games and two postseason contests as a true freshman, preserving his freshman eligi- bility in 2025. Martin totaled 32 yards on 13 carries. • Earned four-star status in the On3 Indus- try Ranking coming out of Belle Vernon (Pa.) High, along with the No. 99 spot among all prospects nationally, No. 2 spot among athletes 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 touch- downs as a senior, while also totaling 53 receptions for 764 yards and 11 scores. NICHOLAS SINGLETON Sr. | 6-0 | 224 • Bounced back from an early-season injury and rushed for 1,099 yards and 12 touchdowns on 172 carries (6.4 yards per attempt) last fall while adding 375 yards and 5 TDs on 41 catches. • Totaled 366 rushing yards in postseason games against Oregon, SMU, Boise State and Notre Dame and scored all 3 of Penn State's touchdowns versus the Fighting Irish. • Was a seven-game starter as a sopho- more in 2023 and amassed a team-high 8 rushing touchdowns while totaling 752 yards on 171 carries. Added 26 recep- tions for 308 yards and 2 touchdowns and also returned 13 kickoffs for an aver- age of 24.1 yards per attempt. • Finished with 1,061 yards and 12 touch- downs on the ground as a freshman in 2022. • Earned Big Ten Thompson-Randle El Freshman of the Year honors. COREY SMITH R-Fr. | 5-10 | 193 • Impressed in limited action last fall, total- ing 152 yards on 22 carries, including a 78-yard run against Washington. Smith played in four games and retained his freshman eligibility. • Earned four-star status in the On3 In- dustry Ranking, along with the No. 366 spot among all prospects nationally, No. 27 spot among running backs, and No. 3 ranking in Wisconsin. • Missed most of his senior season at Catholic Memorial with a broken col- larbone but had a 74-yard touchdown reception against Martin Luther High in the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic As- sociation playoffs. CAM WALLACE R-So. | 5-9 | 205 • Saw his 2024 season end when he suf- fered what James Franklin described as a "long-term injury" against Kent State on Sept. 21. He played in three games, fin- ishing his redshirt freshman season with 63 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. • Saw no game action during his first season at Penn State and preserved his freshman eligibility. • Was rated a three-star prospect by all the major recruiting services. Listed in the On3 Industry Ranking as the No. 67 run- ning back and No. 100 player in Georgia for the class of 2023. NEWCOMERS JABREE COLEMAN Fr. | 6-0 | 209 • Rushed for 4,243 yards in four seasons at Imhotep Charter in Philadelphia. • A four-star prospect, he was listed by On3 as the No. 339 overall player and No. 24 running back nationally, as well as the No. 7 player in Pennsylvania. TIKEY HAYES Fr. | 5-11 | 204 • Rushed for nearly 7,000 yards and 95 touchdowns in a four-year varsity career at Aliquippa (Pa.) High. • Received a three-star grade from On3 and was the No. 30 running back pros- pect nationally and No. 9 player in Penn- sylvania. Listed at 5-11, 204 pounds, true freshman Tikey Hayes has the potential to contribute in his debut season with the Nittany Lions. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS