Why Penn State Is Trying to Jumpstart Nicholas Singleton's Final Season

Singleton is averaging nearly half the rushing yards per game as he did last year, despite a similar number of carries. Singleton averaged 6.39 yards per carry and 11.5 carries per game in 2024. Those numbers are 3.61 yards per carry and 10.9 carries per game this season.

Meanwhile, Allen is averaging nearly three yards more per carry (6.24) than Singleton and is coming off a game vs. Iowa in which he recorded career-highs in carries (28) and yards (145). Allen is one rushing touchdown from matching his career-best of 10 in 2022. 

Singleton has scored just one of his six rushing touchdowns in Penn State’s four Big Ten losses. He is averaging 2.71 yards per carry in those games. 

Further, Singleton has not been the explosive back of his junior or freshman seasons. Last year, Singleton recorded five carries of 40+ yards, including a 58-yard touchdown run against Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. This year, his longest run is 16 yards. Allen's is 67.

There haven’t been as many explosive opportunities for Singleton, but Penn State’s offense as a whole hasn’t been explosive, either. It ranks 100th in the nation in total offense and 121st in plays of 20+ yards.

Penn State averages 184 passing yards per game (111th), and Singleton has just eight catches in the four Big Ten losses. Had the Nittany Lions consistently developed a more reliable passing attack, the gridiron might have opened a bit more for Singleton. 

“It’s about putting in opportunities to make sure he can showcase what he does well,” Kotelnicki said. “He’s got great speed, and we need to do a good job of getting him on the perimeter, allowing him to get some edges and where his speed can show up.”  

But because Allen is performing better, Singleton might not get that chance.

Is Singleton's approach blocking the windows?

Singleton hasn’t looked like he’s playing freely this season. Franklin would talk about how the running back needed to “go let it rip” on Saturdays, but Singleton’s instincts haven’t taken over and led him to those chunk gains. Singleton’s longest run in a Big Ten game is 13 yards.  

Franklin has said that it seemed like Singleton was trying to “play perfect” and that “overthinking” affected his usual quick decision-making. With Penn State's record at 3-4 with five games left, pride feels like the biggest motivator for veterans who will move on from the program.

But Singleton and Allen also have another goal. They began the season about 1,000 yards away from breaking Evan Royster’s Penn State rushing record of 3,932 yards. But Allen (3,489) is far closer to breaking that record than Singleton (3,186) with five regular-season games to play.

Navigating change

Drayton became Penn State’s running backs coach last winter after Ja'Juan Seiderleft for Notre Dame, and then Franklin was fired after the Northwestern game. Those changes added more layers to what Singleton has faced this season. 

Seider and Singleton were close, as was the whole running backs room, and change is often difficult. Drayton also made some alterations to Singleton’s running approach that he expected would bloom more quickly. Before Penn State faced Oregon, Drayton said that Singleton was “getting ready to explode.”

“What you're seeing right now is a really good football player that is processing a little bit too much, maybe overthinking a little bit too much," Drayton said in late September. "We really did attack the offseason by throwing more on his plate from a learning standpoint, ... and that takes a little bit of time.”

Time is running low, but Penn State’s coaching staff said it remains committed to giving Singleton opportunities. “We need both of those backs to really be at their very best and we’re just kind of tuning that up,” Smith said.