2023 Penn State football snapshot profile: No. 10 Nick Singleton
Going into the 2023 football season, Nittany Lions Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Penn State roster. Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for James Franklin this season.
It has been a few years since Penn State truly felt comfortable with what it had to offer with the running game, but this is an area that should put Franklin at ease going into the 2023 season. With Nick Singleton coming off a stellar freshman season at running back, Penn State has plenty of reasons to be optimistic about running the ball this fall. The Big Ten freshman of the year and AP Big Ten newcomer of the year will remain a focal point in the offense this season and should take some of the pressure off new starting quarterback Drew Allar in the process.
Preseason Player Profile
Syndication: York Daily Record
Hometown: Shillington, PA
Height: 6-0
Weight: 228
247Sports Composite Ranking
Syndication: York Daily Record
[5-stars] | [No. 1 in Pennsylvania] | [No. 1 overall running back]
Class of 2022
Class in 2023: Sophomore
When James Franklin says he wants to keep the best in Pennsylvania close to home, this is what he means. Nick Singleton was the nation’s top-rated running back in the Class of 2022 and a Gatorade National High School Football Player of the Year. Letting Singleton leave for another school was simply not an option for James Franklin and the coaching staff.
Singleton rushed for over 5,000 yards in high school for Governor Mifflin High School, and he ended his high school career with 95 rushing touchdowns, with 41 in his senior season.
Singleton committed to Penn State over offers from Alabama, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, and Wisconsin in the final stages of his recruiting process. Singleton committed to Penn State in July 2021 after wrapping up a series of official visits to all five schools the previous month.
Career Stats
Syndication: The Montgomery Advertiser
Games | Attempts | Yards | Average/A | Touchdowns | |
2022 | 13 | 156 | 1,061 | 6.8 | 12 |
It did not take long for Penn State to have faith in the running game going through Nick Singleton. Singleton, along with fellow freshman Kaytron Allen, injected much-needed life into the Penn State rushing game by rushing for freshmen records for yards in a season and rushing touchdowns (Allen would have set the Penn State freshman rushing touchdown record if not for Singleton’s performance).
Singleton made a name for himself in his third game of his career with 124 rushing yards and two touchdowns in a big road win at Auburn, and he capped his brilliant freshman season with 120 rushing yards and two touchdowns in Penn State’s Rose Bowl victory over Pac-12 champion Utah.
Singleton also did some damage on special teams with 14 kickoff returns for 349 yards, with one 100-yard touchdown in the mix.
Depth Chart Overview
Scott Taetsch/Getty Images
After bursting onto the scene the way he did as a freshman, it is pretty clear where Singleton fits in the offensive outlook for Penn State in 2023. Singleton will be the main running back for the offense and should be considered the starter, but we should still see plenty of Kaytron Allen getting involved as well after his own solid freshman campaign. The two work together like a thunder-and-lightning combination most schools should be envious of.
The running back duo of Singleton and Allen is considered the best running back duo in the Big Ten, and arguably the nation, so we should see similar results from the two of them again this season.
Penn State will be adding Minnesota transfer Trey Potts to the roster to provide a veteran back as an option as well, and redshirt senior Tank Smith could get some opportunities in certain situations as well. Penn State is also adding London Montgomery in the latest recruiting class, but the running back situation is pretty settled for this fall.
