Where does Penn State football stand at running back in 2022? Here’s the depth chart breakdown
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Depth chart breakdown
Where does Penn State football stand heading into the 2022 season? Read our series analyzing each position.
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Penn State’s running game was a major point of consternation last season. Head coach James Franklin was adamant during the 2021 season that he wanted to run the ball successfully and, despite those comments, it didn’t happen. While there are many parts of the rushing attack, the running backs struggles to hit holes with conviction played a role in those issues and they will have to be better to fulfill Franklin’s wish.
We’ve already examined the quarterback position, now let’s take a look at where running back stands heading into the 2022 season.
Projected starter: Sophomore running back Keyvone Lee
For all of the Penn State offense’s struggles in the ground game, it still managed to produce a running back who had success. Lee finished the year with an average of 4.9 yards per carry, but only received 108 carries. His success should have warranted more touches, but the Nittany Lions rotated backs in frequently and didn’t give him the work his play warranted until late in the season.
Lee is a strong and powerful back at 6-feet and 234 pounds, with the ability to run through almost any defender. He can maneuver through holes in the offensive line, albeit without much burst to find narrow seams. He’s a power back through and through but is nimble enough to be effective in the passing game, even if it doesn’t result in big gains.
At this point it’s hard to argue any of the other experienced backs on the team can hold a candle to Lee. He may be a limited player but he excels at being a power back and that alone gives him a defined role in the offense. It would be unfair to expect the sophomore to get much faster or to think he’ll suddenly be a threat to break open games with a big run, but he will likely always be able to break through arm tackles and push the pile forward to get a few extra yards.
His top end speed is below average, however, so as he gets beyond the defensive line, he becomes much less of a threat than most backs. Rather than finding those seams and running away from defenders, Lee is much more likely to get brought down from behind by opponents. He is maximized when used in short yardage situations, or in areas of the field where the game is condensed — like the red zone.
Instead, he was forced to be a primary ball carrier last season. Yet, thanks to his uncommon size and strength, he was still able to find success. Lee seemed to earn the role of primary running back last year and put himself in a position to take it over completely during the spring. However, it could be possible that he’s used in the ideal role this year — as a short yardage back — despite all of that success. And despite what he did last year, using him less and in more of a situational role could be done for good reason.
Key backup: Freshman Nicholas Singleton
That reason is Singleton. He comes in this season after enrolling in January but has a chance to be Penn State’s best offensive player. The 6-foot, 219-pound back has every attribute teams want in a runner. He’s strong and physical at the point of contact, with the balance to stay on his feet after taking hits and the vision to find a seam and get up the field.
Once he sees the hole open up, Singleton plants a foot in the ground and flies through it with elite top end speed and the burst to get up to that gear quickly. Running back tends to be one of the more projectable positions on the football field and the freshman falls into the highest category of projections.
There is always a chance a high-end recruit does not play the way a team would expect, but it’s difficult to envision a scenario where Singleton doesn’t become a valuable asset on offense.
His biggest adjustments to the college game will be learning the playbook — his team ran a run-heavy option offense in high school — and having a greater impact in the passing game. The latter tends to be an area of adjustment for most incoming freshmen, but Singleton has the strength and size to be adept at helping out in pass protection.
His pass-catching is more of an unknown at this point, but there’s little reason to believe he won’t be successful there, even if it’s in more basic route concepts that are designed to get him the ball in space behind the line of scrimmage.
Singleton will enter the fall as a backup option behind Lee and potentially others, but he has the highest ceiling in the running back room and could already be the most proficient at the position. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him lead the team in both carries and rushing yards by the end of the season.
Freshman to watch: Kaytron Allen
Usually Singleton would be in this category but his role should be outsized rather quickly. Instead, we’ll give it to Allen, who would be an ideal complement to his fellow freshman running back. He’s stout and powerful at 5-foot-11, 216 pounds and plays with physicality. He, like Lee, could be best suited in a short yardage role because of his physical attributes. Allen — affectionately nicknamed “Fatman” — could form a quality pairing with Singleton if things work out in his favor.
He’s no slouch from a talent perspective, coming in as a ready made running back despite his best usage being in a specific role early on. There’s potential speed to unlock for Allen as he continues working in the Penn State strength and conditioning program, but there’s also a chance he’s maxed out from an athletic standpoint. If that isn’t the case and he adds speed and quickens his feet, there’s a world where he’s the superior freshman running back in this class. Regardless of who ends up being better in the long run, the pairing of Allen and Singleton should have Penn State in a good position in the backfield for at least the next three seasons they’re with the program.
This story was originally published June 16, 2022 at 12:37 PM.
