Why Penn State’s running backs are ‘not too worried’ about carrying on storied tradition
Penn State running back James Peoples, a transfer from Ohio State, smiled and took a breath Tuesday while he pondered what he took more pride in — making a defender miss or breaking a tackle.
After a few moments, the junior settled on what he intimated was definitely the right answer.
“I’d say the more satisfying thing would be when you make somebody miss,” he said from the Lasch Football Building, in one of his only responses that required a slight pause. “I think it stuns the crowd. It just stuns the crowd whenever it happens.”
Peoples, along with fellow running backs Carson Hansen and Quinton Martin Jr., are hoping to electrify Nittany Lions fans this season by competing for carries and continuing the legacy of the position. Whether it’s by running around defenders — or through them — the trio said after practice Tuesday that confidence remains high for different reasons.
Peoples said his “true ability” is finally starting to show, after it took some time to acclimate to the new playbook, team and tempo. Hansen, who said he’s already looking forward to the White Out, vowed this RB room would be among the best-conditioned in the country. And Martin, who spent the last two seasons in Happy Valley, said fans should expect more of the same.
“I feel like the history of Penn State has always been the running back setting the tone, and I think fans should expect that again,” Martin said. “In our offense, we’re going to set the tone, run downhill and try to dominate our opponent and open up the pass game.”
Hansen, an Iowa State transfer, followed coach Matt Campbell to Penn State and is widely expected to be the primary ball-carrier, just like he was last season with the Cyclones. Peoples and Martin are expected to split carries behind him, potentially similar to Iowa State’s three-headed committee approach between 2022-2024 — when the No. 3 RB had at least 60% of the touches of the top ball-carrier.
The three aren’t arguing about carries at this early point. Instead, they’ve worked on chemistry by grabbing dinners together, and the overall focus has simply been on improving — which is why every long run feels like a victory for the entire RB room.
“If somebody makes a good play, we celebrate with them and we take that energy from that play on to the next,” Martin added.
Both Campbell and running backs coach Savon Huggins said the effort has been there with all the backs. Campbell said Hansen is in “the best shape of his life,” shortly before complimenting Peoples’ day of practice as “great.”
And coaches weren’t shy about singing Martin’s praises either. Martin, who started last season around 205 pounds, is aiming to bulk up to 220 this season without losing any speed. Thanks to a lot of chicken, rice and weightlifting, the 6-foot-1 redshirt sophomore is already turning heads while topping the scale at 212 pounds.
“I still think that competition is going to be a great competition all the way through fall camp,” Campbell said. “... All three have shown great things.”
This RB crew won’t have an easy encore. Kaytron Allen became the Nittany Lions’ all-time leading rusher last season, while teammate Nick Singleton broke the school’s all-time record for total rushing touchdowns. And those two followed in the footsteps of other recent greats like Miles Sanders and Saquon Barkley.
Some student-athletes might feel a bit intimidated following up future NFL players. But Peoples swore that wasn’t the case with this room.
“Yeah, this place has a history of running backs and I know the two who are just leaving,” he said. “But I think this running back room here is coming in, and we’re looking to build our image — but we’re not too worried about that.
“I think that image is going to build itself. We’re just really focused on making this team better and bearing the weight of what it is to be a running back at Penn State. That’s going to come.”
This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 5:49 PM.
