Meet Penn State's 'Extraordinary' Freshman Running Backs
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Ja'Juan Seider, Penn State's running backs coach, tells his players every year that a significant part of his job is to replace them.
"This isn't the entitlement era," Seider said. "My job is to win. If I'm playing the best player, and he isn't helping us win, there's going to be someone else coaching him."
Penn State begins its 2022 training camp following an offseason run-game reset while introducing two freshmen into the changing equation. Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen enrolled early and made their presences felt immediately in a position room that needed a refresh.
Though it has returning experience in Keyvone Lee, Devyn Ford and Caziah Holmes, the Penn State backfield likely will change gears under Singleton and Allen. The Lions already expect the freshmen backs to impact the offense; how much and how soon will depend on how quickly they get control of it.
But Seider has noticed tangible changes, both offensively and defensively, since the freshmen arrived on campus in January.
"What those kids have done for our team, in my opinion, is made us tougher," Seider said. "They made the older guys tougher, they made them compete. The offensive line blocked different. They made our defense tackle different. Because they run with an attitude like they're pissed off on every play, which is what you've got to have to play that position."
Penn State freshman running backs Nicholas Singleton (10) and Kaytron Allen could make a quick impact on the Lions' rushing offense this season.
Dan Rainville/USA Today Sports Network
Penn State's run game didn't have that last year, for a variety of reasons. The Lions ranked 118th nationally in rushing yards per game (108) and 117th in yards per carry (3.2). More distressingly to Seider, Penn State ranked last in the Big Ten and 123rd nationally in yards after carry, according to Sports Info Solutions. The coach called those numbers "unsettling."
"If you're a competitive person, you should have a fire burning [about gaining YAC]," Seider said. ".. The offensive line never had to be perfect. I always believe the OL's job is to pass protect and, in the run game, just cover guys up. We've got to make people miss and we've got to be more physical about imposing our will.
"In the past, when you got on the field and you talked about Penn State, you're going to start with the run game. I'm trying to get them to understand who we are. When you won here at Penn State, the run game was there, and we have to get back to our roots."
Singleton and Allen might be the backs to get them there. Singleton, the Gatorade National Player of the Year, represents the type of multi-tool back the Lions had with Saquon Barkley, Miles Sanders and Journey Brown.
Singleton (6-0, 219 pounds) can identify holes quickly, cut past linebackers and outrun defensive backs for big gains. He's the home-run back Penn State lacked the past two seasons.
Sports Illustrated ranked Singleton as its No. 1 running back through the entire 2022 recruiting cycle. John Garcia, Jr., SI's director of football recruiting, said that no one matched Singleton in the class.
Meanwhile, Allen (5-11, 211) brings a power-back reputation to Penn State, though his versatility can be underrated. Allen also played for three seasons at Florida's IMG Academy, demonstrating his elite skills to multiple class of exceptional defenders.
"Singleton is your all-purpose, do-whatever-you-need kind of back, and Kaytron Allen is the hammer behind it to make you re-evaluate how you approach a running back in the hole," Garcia said. "That combination is going to be extraordinary for Penn State.
"Kaytron doing it at IMG for three-plus years isn't something we see a whole lot, and that says a ton about his floor. Maybe his ceiling isn't as high [as Singleton's] because Singleton can do everything. He can catch the ball in space, hit the home run and he's no slouch between the tackles, either. I'm looking forward to seeing those two counter each other."
The coaching staff already has seen it.
"They’re really good just because of their get-off, their first step and the way they hit the holes," offensive line coach Phil Trautwein said. "Watching both of them after contact, their vision is really great. You wouldn’t know walking out here watching practice that they should still be in high school. ... They don't look like freshmen to me."
Seider, meanwhile, made some intriguing early comparisons.
"Nick's got speed that I haven't seen since Journey Brown," Seider said. "He can take it the distance that way. Kaytron may have some of the most elite feet that I’ve been around. He can see stuff and get out of stuff as good as the guys in the past. He reminds me a lot of Le’Veon Bell in that he can be patient and explode through a gap in the blink of an eye."
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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.
