UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen left no doubt they could handle the rigors of college football during their remarkable freshmen seasons at Penn State. Now, the curtain is set to rise on another season and another chance for the duo to run wild on the national stage.
With a pair of Freshman-All American campaigns, the tandem tormented opposing defenses as Singleton set a Penn State freshman record with 12 touchdowns. As Singleton dashed away from defenses with 1,061 rushing yards, Allen posted 867, becoming the first freshmen teammates, in Big Ten history, in a single season to record more than 700 yards.
With speed, finesse, athleticism and unmatched physicality, Singleton and Allen each bring a different style and something special to the table as Singleton uses his game changing speed to turn a contest on its head while Allen initiates the contact, powering through defenses at will.
However, despite the accolades, the duo enters year two in Happy Valley with bigger goals, aspirations and a hunger to improve. With another year of experience under their belts and the addition of Minnesota transfer Trey Potts, who brings a plethora of experience, Penn State will feature an elite package of running backs once again.
"It's just not one thing, it's the overall development," offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Yurcich said. "They got stronger, they got faster. From a physical standpoint, that's there and then the mental standpoint, it's just understanding the game. It's just time on task, it's reps and it's everything so I don't think it's just one aspect of the game, we want to develop the whole player and make them as dynamic as they possibly can be."
With the leadership of running backs coach Ja'Juan Seider, who enters his sixth season at Penn State, Singleton captured Big Ten Thompson-Randle El Freshman of the Year honors and was awarded Big Ten Newcomer of the Year by the Associated Press.
While the postseason accolades added to an already impressive resume, the sophomore running back from Shillington, Pennsylvania, is determined to improve and acknowledged the places of his game that he is looking to refine like route running and recognizing defenses. Singleton also shared how he's working on "everything."
"Knowing the defenses, knowing where the open man is, knowing the last defender, get better on my routes, running the ball, blocking," Singleton said. "I did all that stuff last year but I know I can get better with that stuff."
A product of Norfolk, Virginia, Allen knows his development lies in the film as one-on-one sessions with Seider and Singleton have paid dividends. For Allen, watching film of current NFL running backs like Nick Chubb and Josh Jacobs has helped him learn.
Allen and Singleton share a special bond, one also shared by the Penn State running backs that came before them. While they continue the brotherhood of running backs, the duo relies on one another to improve both on and off the field, sharing information and keeping that constant communication in practice to be able to compete at the highest level.
"We make each other better in practice," Allen said. "Just telling each other what we did right and what we did wrong. Competing and doing everything that we can do to get better."
Learning the numerous aspects of the game has been a key building block in Allen's development as he's working to make the most of every moment on the practice field and capitalize when his number is called on gameday.
With a pair of games of over 100 yards rushing, a three-touchdown game against Indiana, and 10 total touchdowns on the season in 2022, Allen showed off his physical running style but knows correcting his mistakes will lead to a more complete campaign.
"What I'm looking forward to most is just getting better, looking for more opportunities," Allen said. "When I leave it out on the field, I'm just trying to get better, learn from my mistakes last year, just keep getting better and keep learning."
