Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545675
A U G U S T 2 0 2 6 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 Savon Huggins: Huggins replaced Stan Drayton, who left for South Carolina af- ter just one season on Penn State's staff. Before joining Matt Campbell with the Nittany Lions, the Jackson, N.J., native spent five years at Boston College, arriving as a recruiting advisor in 2021 and taking charge of the running backs the following year. Last fall, Huggins helped Turbo Richards rush for 749 yards and 9 touchdowns before leaving for Indiana via the transfer portal. Huggins will be a familiar name to some Penn State fans. He was a four-star recruit coming out of St. Peter's Prep in the class of 2011 but chose Rutgers over Penn State and spent four years with the Scarlet Knights before finishing his career at North- ern Iowa. Huggins got his start in coaching as an offensive and defensive assistant at Somerville (N.J.) High from 2016-18. After a season at St. Peter's Prep, he moved up to the college ranks, with stints at Buffalo (wide receivers) and Massachusetts (run- ning backs). RETURNING SCHOLARSHIP PLAYERS QUINTON MARTIN JR. R-So. | 6-1 | 212 • Enjoyed a breakout game versus Clem- son in the Pinstripe Bowl last Decem- ber, totaling 103 yards on 20 carries. • Saw action in four regular-season games and two postseason contests as a true freshman in 2024, totaling 32 yards on 13 carries. • 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 athletes and No. 3 ranking in Pennsylvania. • Was a captain as a senior and led Belle Vernon to WPIAL and PIAA Class AAA titles in 2023. CAM WALLACE R-Jr. | 5-9 | 206 • Entered the transfer portal when it opened but had a change of heart and announced on Jan. 10 that he would be staying with the Nittany Lions. • Saw only sporadic game action play- ing behind veterans Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton last season, totaling only 6 carries for 23 yards. • Has played in only seven games in his first three years on campus, in large part due to injuries. • Saw his 2024 season end when he suf- fered what former coach James Frank- lin described as a "long-term injury" against Kent State on Sept. 21. • Saw no game action during his first season at Penn State and preserved his freshman eligibility. NEWCOMERS CARSON HANSEN Sr. | 6-2 | 216 • Joined Matt Campbell at Penn State after leading Iowa State with 950 yards and 6 touchdowns on 187 carries as a junior. • Was a second-team All-Big 12 pick by the league's coaches following a junior campaign in which he played in 11 games and started nine. • Rushed for a career-best 152 yards against BYU, a game in which he also had a career-long run of 65 yards. • Came to the Cyclones as a three-star prospect out of Lakeville (Minn.) South High in 2023. JAMES PEOPLES Jr. | 5-10 | 214 • Played in eight games as a true fresh- man at Ohio State but found himself stuck behind freshman Bo Jackson last year. • Totaled 541 yards and 5 touchdowns on 110 carries during his two seasons with the Buckeyes. D'ANTAE SHEFFEY Fr. | 5-11 | 201 • State College native who switched his commitment from Syracuse to Penn State following an official visit in January. • Totaled 1,610 rushing yards for State College Area High as a senior, winning Mid-Penn Commonwealth Offensive Player of the Year honors. • Was a three-star prospect, per the Rivals Industry Ranking, as well as the No. 70 running back nationally and No. 30 player in Pennsylvania. Cam Wallace is hoping to earn a spot in the running back rotation after pulling his name out of the transfer por- tal in January and opting to return for his redshirt junior season. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS