Penn State Football Spring Position Preview: Running Backs
Penn State got back to its old-fashioned, ground and pound style last season, and the running game should only be better this year.
The Nittany Lions ranked fourth in the Big Ten in rushing yards and will return its biggest contributors in running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen.
With quarterback Sean Clifford's graduation, it'll be a new era of football at the game's most important position. With a first-year starter set to take over, it makes sense for Mike Yurcich's offense to revolve around the ground attack again.
Here's how the running back room stacks up going into 2023:
Note: This does not include 2023 signees who are not yet enrolled on campus.
DEPARTURES
KEYVONE LEE
2022 stats: 25 att, 94 yards. 3 rec, 23 yards, 1 TD
Career stats: 222 att, 1062 yards, 6 TD. 30 rec, 219 yards, 1 TD
After missing most of the 2022 season with injury, Keyvone Lee entered the transfer portal this offseason.
Lee was a solid back during his first two seasons with Penn State, but lost his starting job to the dynamic freshmen duo of Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton.
Lee likely would've been the third running back in the pecking order this season, so the move makes sense for him. His departure leaves redshirt senior Tank Smith as the lone upperclassmen in the running back room.
PROJECTED STARTERS
NICHOLAS SINGLETON
2022 stats: 156 att, 1061 yards, 12 TDs. 11 rec, 85 yards, 1 TD
Nick Singleton was a highly touted recruit coming into Happy Valley, and he lived up the hype and then some in his true freshman season.
Averaging 6.8 yards per carry, Singleton was electric and always threatened a house call any time he touched the ball.
Ranked as the top prospect in Pennsylvania by Rivals, Singleton started as a pure speed threat with a tendency to bounce outside. As the season went on, he improved his vision between the tackles and showed impressive power and balance.
You can't teach speed, and that will always be Singleton's greatest strength. The sky is the limit for the second-year rusher in Mike Yurcich's offense.
KAYTRON ALLEN
2022 stats: 167 att, 867 yards, 10 TDs. 20 rec, 188 yards, 1 TD
Kaytron Allen earned the most carries on the team and made the most of them in his freshman season.
Hailing from IMG Academy, Allen showed impressive power and balance, proving to be a difficult tackle for any defense.
Allen also impressed as a receiver, notching 20 catches and showing he can be a dual threat. He could be a security blanket for Penn State's young quarterbacks, especially early in the season.
The thunder and lightning of him and Nick Singleton looks to terrorize the Big Ten this season.
BACKUPS
Redshirt senior Terry "Tank" Smith is the oldest one in the running back room and the most likely to take snaps as the third-string back.
Smith has played sparingly in his career, with just 28 total carries across three seasons at Penn State, and that role likely won't increase barring injury.
Outside of Smith, the Nittany Lions have two other backs on the roster: Redshirt sophomores Tyler Holzworth and Amiel Davis.
Holzworth has garnered some praise on the Development Squad, but only has eight career touches. Davis has never taken in-game snaps at running back.
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