The 'Crazy Stat' That Penn State's James Franklin Believes Is Undervalued

The Nittany Lions have one of the nation's most unique situations at running back. Franklin believes more people should be paying attention.

Penn State Nittany Lions running back Nicholas Singleton (10) carries the ball behind Kaytron Allen vs Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Pro Football Focus ranks Penn State's running backs room No. 1 in the nation, while Phil Steele puts the position group atop his Big Ten rankings and calls Nicholas Singleton the No. 1 draft-eligible back in college football. And ESPN has ranked Singleton and Kaytron Allen as two of the top three backs in college football. Yet Penn State football coach James Franklin feels his duo still remains undervalued.

"This is something I don't think enough people are talking about," Franklin said at Big Ten Football Media Days. "To me, it's amazing. It blows my mind, but I guess other people aren't as interested in it."

What blows Franklin's mind? Singleton and Allen both could break Penn State's career-rushing record this season while sharing carries over four seasons. Evan Royster is Penn State's all-time leading rusher with 3,932 yards on 686 carries from 2007-2010. Both Singleton and Allen are within striking distance of Royster's record this season.

RELATED: Penn State 2025 position preview: The best backfield in the country?

Singleton, who has rushed for 2,912 career yards, needs 1,021 to break Royster's mark. Allen (2,877 career rushing yards) needs 1,056. Together, Singleton and Allen could become the leading rushers in Penn State history while essentially sharing the position for four seasons. That's what amazes Franklin.

"Penn State's got an unbelievable history at the running back position: first-round draft choices, No. 1 picks, great players," Franklin said. "These guys have shared carries their entire career and they have a chance at the end of this year to be the No. 1 and No. 2 all-time leading rushers in Penn State history. To me, that is a crazy stat of two backs who have shared carries."

Singleton and Allen certainly have built similar statistical resumes, even though they run with different styles. Singleton has rushed for 2,912 yards on 488 carries, averaging 5.8 per carry. He also has 12 career carries of 40+ yards.

WE SEE YOU NICHOLAS SINGLETON.@PennStateFball | 📺 NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/FFdao323eA

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) October 27, 2024

Allen doesn't have the 40+ carries on his resume (just three) but still churns out a 5.1 ypc average on 559 carries. And he tied for second in the Big Ten last season with 10 carries of 20+ yards.

Franklin initially didn't expect both Singleton and Allen to return together for a fourth season. "I thought it would be similar to our tight end situation [in 2023], where we had Tyler Warren and Theo Johnson, and once one decided to leave, the other stayed," Franklin said on a recent episode of The Triple Option podcast. "I thought it would be similar. But I think they've bought into our philosophy here."

Indeed, both Singleton and Allen have stressed that they value the position share for the wear it removes from their bodies. Both received NFL Draft grades that could have led them to the 2025 draft. Big Ten Network's Matt Millen even said before the Orange Bowl in January that the backs were "NFL-ready right now."

"They catch the ball well, they run the ball well, they have good vision," Millen said. "They have all the requisite skills to be able to play at the next level, which they're going to. They're both excellent players."

So perhaps the story line is underrated, but Singleton and Allen certainly aren't. What's more, Franklin said that Allen could be primed for a true breakout season.

"They're going to play behind one of the best offensive lines in college football this year," Franklin said. "They both will get the ball in more ways than just being handed off, because they can be playmakers in the passing game for us. Nick has been one of the most consistent players in terms of his preparation that I've been around in my career.

"But one of the things I'm most excited about is Kaytron Allen has never had an off season. He's always had a lingering injury from the season. This is the first off season he's ever had. He's faster, he's stronger, he's more explosive than he's ever been. He's got a chance to put the country on notice, and the combination of them is going to be a problem."

Penn State RB Kaytron Allen Since 2022:

🐾 93.8 Rushing Grade
🐾 2,882 Rushing Yards
🐾 1,787 Yards AFTER Contact
🐾 130 Missed Tackles Forced@PennStateFball pic.twitter.com/NMLldEFIPi

— PFF College (@PFF_College) June 26, 2025

Penn State opens the 2025 season Aug. 30 vs. Nevada at Beaver Stadium.