Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545675
A U G U S T 2 0 2 6 41 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 / / / / / / / its leaders, a group that included senior running back Carson Hansen. "There are a lot of guys who've not only played football, but you could make an argument that at points in their career, they've been some of the best players in the country at their positions, which is really exciting," Campbell said. "They've done a great job in understanding that real lead- ership is not leading yourself. It's the ability to bring others with you. And I think these guys have really done a great job at that. "I say this all the time to our seniors, 'What you say and what you do will be used for and against you when it matters most — and when it matters the most is coming fast.'" Among the former Iowa State play- ers who are bringing the most experi- ence to the field this season, Hansen is deeply aware of his place within the program. Now a senior with the Nittany Lions, he's coming off his most productive campaign as a Cyclone, picking up 950 yards and 6 touchdowns on 187 car- ries last season. In addition, he had 19 catches for 134 yards in 11 games. That effort built on the career trajec- tory Hansen had begun establishing as a true freshman. He was a third-down contributor in 2023, then became a starter the following year, helping lift the Cyclones to the Big 12 champion- ship game by rushing for 752 yards and 13 touchdowns on 151 carries while add- ing another 88 yards and 2 scores on 13 receptions. At Penn State, he'll have an oppor- tunity to fill the vacancy created by the departure of feature backs Nicholas Sin- gleton and Kaytron Allen. The Nittany Lions need a reliable ball carrier who can deliver the kind of thunderbolts that Singleton and Allen so often produced over the past four years. They also need a voice and a presence that can unite the running backs room and the offense as a whole. Recogniz- ing his place among a handful of critical Iowa State offensive starters who made the move to Happy Valley, Hansen has joined those teammates in helping bring along others acclimating to Campbell and the offense that coordinator Taylor Mouser has put together. "As leaders, we have to be there for the young guys and the guys from Penn State," he said. "I hate saying 'the guys from Penn State,' because we're all one team now, together. "But it's just been our leadership role, just being in those guys' ears. We're explaining to them, giving them tips and reminders, over and over again, so we can just hammer out the little details." Campbell and his staff were deter- mined from the outset to forge a team- first mentality out of a group of disparate parts brought together hastily this off- season. That sentiment has been par- ticularly important among the running backs. Joined by Ohio State junior transfer James Peoples, a pair of returnees — red- shirt sophomore Quinton Martin Jr. and redshirt junior Cam Wallace — and a true freshman in D'Antae Sheffey, Hansen detailed a bonding process that began with positional dinners and off-the- clock leisure time. Through it all, with Hansen doing his best to help lead the way, the Nittany Li- ons have taken strides on and off the field with an eye toward what's next. "I think our biggest thing in spring ball was the fundamentals of things, picking up the playbook and really just hammering out the little details of things," he said. "I think we did a great job of that. Overall, it's just been good, fundamental work. We've seen a lot of improvements from guys, and I think it's going to be a really special year." ■ Quick Facts Position coach: Savon Huggins (first season) Returning starters: None Departing starters: Kaytron Allen (24 ca- reer starts), Nicholas Singleton (31) Projected new starter: Carson Hansen Top reserves: Quinton Martin Jr., James Peoples, Cam Wallace Newcomers: Hansen, Peoples, D'Antae Sheffey 2025 vs. 2026: Stock Up Or Down? Penn State's running game wasn't the dominant force that many were expecting to see last year, but Kay- tron Allen still finished as the Nittany Lions' all-time leading rusher with 4,180 career yards, while Nicholas Singleton rose to fourth all-time with 3,461. The two have since moved on to the NFL, leaving some big shoes to fill. Senior Carson Hansen figures to start after rushing for 1,769 yards in three seasons at Iowa State. Junior James Peoples, an Ohio State trans- fer, and redshirt sophomore Quinton Martin Jr. will also have prominent roles. Despite boasting plenty of star power, Penn State finished fifth in the Big Ten in rushing last year with an average of 174.4 yards per game. If the offensive line comes together, it's not far-fetched to imagine this year's team faring better on the ground. X-Factor How will Penn State split the carries between its top three running backs? Hansen has spent his career in the Big 12, but at 6-2, 216 pounds, he looks to be physically ready for the rugged Big Ten. Peoples has already proven he can be a major contributor in the nation's toughest conference, and Martin is coming off the best game of his career, a 103-yard out- burst versus Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl. There are a lot of mouths to feed, and we haven't even mentioned Cam Wallace, who opted to return for his redshirt junior season in the hope of developing into a bigger contributor now that Allen and Singleton are gone. Still, it's better to have too much depth than not enough. Freshman Outlook Three-star State College prospect D'Antae Sheffey was the only running back in Penn State's 2026 class. Un- less the Nittany Lions run into some injury problems, he's unlikely to see substantial action this year.