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Penn State Ribs ESPN's Adam Schefter for Nicholas Singleton Post

ESPN's NFL senior insider mixes up Nittany Lions running backs while breaking news about Singleton.
Mark Wogenrich|
Broadcaster Adam Schefter of ESPN's Monday Night Football Countdown is seen on the sideline prior to the NFL International Series game between the Arizona Cardinals and the San Francisco 49ers.
Broadcaster Adam Schefter of ESPN's Monday Night Football Countdown is seen on the sideline prior to the NFL International Series game between the Arizona Cardinals and the San Francisco 49ers. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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ESPN's Adam Schefter delivered some good news about former Penn State running back Nicholas Singleton a week before the 2026 NFL Draft. But who knew that Singleton looked so much like a Nittany Lions running back from the 1990s?

Schefter, among ESPN's leading NFL voices, reported that Singleton is "medically cleared" and running again after sustaining a broken foot at the Senior Bowl in January. Great news regarding the former Nittany Lions running back ahead of the draft.

Trouble is, Schefter captioned the post on X with a photo of former Penn State running back Cordell Mitchell, who last played for the Nittany Lions the 1990s. The Getty Images photo Schefter used was from a 1998 Penn State-Illinois game that the Nittany Lions won 27-0. Mitchell carried the ball 15 times for 50 yards in the game.

Schefter corrected his error, but the internet. Well, you know.

Penn State social media worked over the error, none more successully than the football team's official X account. With access to a vast digital archive of Penn State football footage, the account found a deep-cut touchdown from Mitchell, posting it with only the barest of context for the IYKYK crowd.

All good fun, but Schefter's report certainly is important. Singleton, Penn State's career leader in rushing and total touchdowns, capped his college career with an uneven senior season and then took a winding road to the NFL Draft. Singleton sustained the injury at the Senior Bowl, where he was having a strong week impressing scouts with his speed and athleticism.

Singleton was unable to run or perform most tests at the NFL Scouting Combine or Penn State's Pro Day, where he still posted 25 reps on the bench press. A healthy Singleton could have delivered one of the highest-ranked performances at the combine. Instead, he has been assuring NFL teams that he'll be ready for training camp.

“I’m still here, you know, I’m getting better by the day,” Singleton said at Penn State's Pro Day. “I’m still that same player, run the ball, catch the ball in the backfield, be able to go block, just showing that I’m a complete back.”

Singleton is ESPN's sixth-ranked running back in the 2026 draft class, according to ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr., and could provide value as a Day 3 pick. After rushing for 1,099 yards, wth a 6.4 yards-per-carry average, as a junior, Singleton ceded the primary role in the second half of 2026 to teammate Kaytron Allen. He still rushed for 549 yards and 13 touchdowns and has a lot of tread left, having never reached 175 carries in a season at Penn State.

Singleton was the Gatorade National Football Player of the Year as a senior at Gov. Mifflin High, not far from Philadelphia, where he recently visited with the Eagles. At Penn State's Pro Day, Singleton said he had met with nearly every team in some form at the combine.

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Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is the editor and publisher of Penn State on SI, the site for Nittany Lions sports on the Sports Illustrated network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs, three Rose Bowls and one College Football Playoff appearance.

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