Penn State’s young backs are as good as advertised in early showings
The hype surrounding Penn State freshman running back Nick SIngleton is almost impossible to live up to.
From labels of "the next Saquon Barkley" to winning the Gatorade National Player of the Year Award, the Governor Mifflin (Pa.) product is expected to contribute for the Nittany Lions in a big way , and to do so early and often.
To his credit, the No. 43 overall prospect in the 2022 Rivals 100 has taken these expectations in stride and, in turn, has lived up to them early in his career.
During winter workouts, Singleton gave teammates and coaches alike just a small taste of what he could do, impressing in drills as well as in the weight room.That success has continued into spring practice, with many within the program praising him not only for his talent and physical tools, but also his competitiveness. That extends to head coach James Franklin.
"He's got tremendous burst," Franklin said after a recent practice. "(He's) powerful, strong in pass protection We've been impressed so far."
SIngleton's success isn't surprising to many, but what may be surprising to some is that he's seemingly been matched early on by fellow incoming freshman Kaytron Allen. Allen was a high level recruit in his own right. The Virginia native turned iMG Academy (Fl.) star was the No. 167 overall recruit in last year's class and boasted offers from just about every school up and down the east coast. Though he didn't quite have all the accolades that SIngleton did coming in.
That hasn't slowed him down to this point.
Like Singleton, Allen has caught the eye of his teammates and coaches in spring ball and looks firmly in the mix to be part of the running back rotation when the season starts in September.
"They're not like normal true freshman," Penn State offensive lineman Juice Scruggs said of the pair. "When they put those pads on, they show it."
Perhaps what has stood out most for the duo is the ability to not only catch the ball out of the backfield, but also to be stout in pass protection, an issue that typically keeps young backs on the sidelines early in their careers.
:"You don't have to worry about what down it is with those guys," offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich said. "They can play on all downs because of their physical strength and their maturity."
Singleton and Allen are set to compete with returnees Keyvone Lee, Devyn Ford and Caziah Holmes for playing time in 2022. If early indications mean anything, fans could say plenty of both in the fall.
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