Penn State Lands Another Top 2022 Running Back
Penn State's 2022 recruiting class continues to draw some of the nation's leading offensive talent, with IMG Academy running back Kaytron Allen joining the group July 16. Allen's commitment puts Penn State in some rare 2022 recruiting company.
Allen joins fellow commit Nicholas Singleton to give the Lions two of the nation's top-10 backs in the 247Sports national rankings. Penn State is one of three schools (with Alabama and Oklahoma) with two top-10 backs in its 2022 class. In addition, Penn State is the only program with two quarterbacks (Drew Allar and Beau Pribula) ranked in 247Sports' top 30 nationally.
Allen (5-11, 215 pounds) is Rivals' No. 6 running back nationally and ranks 10th in the 247Sports rankings. He has rushed for more than 3,000 yards in three seasons at Norview (Va.) High and IMG Academy.
Allen made quite a debut in 2018, rushing for 1,465 yards and 16 touchdowns as a freshman at Norview. He transferred to IMG Academy the following year, rushing for 1,097 yards and another 16 touchdowns.
In IMG's shortened 2020 season, Allen shared rushing duties, finishing with 515 yards in eight games. The highlight was a 248-yard, five-touchdown performance in IMG Academy's season-ending victory over Tru Prep Academy. IMG Academy finished atop USA Today's national rankings for 2020.
Allen, who has averaged nearly 8 yards per carry in high school, held a top-flight list of offers. He visited Penn State, Florida State, Michigan State, Florida and Georgia during the June recruiting period.
In an interview with Zach Goodall of the All Gators site, Allen delivered a confident assessment of his game.
"My game is, I can be patient, I can hit a nail anytime. I can do anything," Allen said. "If I want to be patient, that's what I'm going to do. If I want to run the ball, and I want to hit the hole and nail, I can do that, too. I always want 10 or more yards. I don't like five yards or less, I'm not satisfied with that. So I always look for touchdowns and more."
Allen became the 19th player to commit to Penn State's 2022 recruiting class. The Lions began July at No. 4 in SI All-American's team rankings behind Ohio State, Notre Dame and Florida State. Penn State's talent addition this month, with more players potentially on the way, could boost the class even higher.
Another key date for Penn State arrives July 22, when Dani Dennis-Sutton, one of the nation's top defensive ends, is scheduled to announce his college decision.
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