Next Saquon Barkley? Top Pennsylvania RB talks Penn State Football

Top Pennsylvania running back Nicholas Singleton has Penn State Football in his top nine and knows he could be the next great in-state back to don the blue and white. 

Penn State Football has been on a tear in recent years keeping the best running back talent in the state at home playing for the Nittany Lions.

Head coach James Franklin and running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider have their sights set on Nicholas Singleton, one of the top rated running back in the 2022 recruiting cycle.

The feeling seems to be mutual at this point, as Singleton has Penn State Football sitting firmly in his top nine schools right now, however it will not be an easy close for Franklin as Singleton has the likes of Alabama and Ohio State chasing after his services as well.

The Nittany Lions have had a ton of recent success of late with in-state running backs and Singleton has certainly taken notice.

"“The running backs they produce like Saquon Barkley, Miles Sanders and Journey Brownare all from Pennsylvania and they want me to keep that tradition going.” Singleton tells Rivals250."

There is no greater recruiting tool for the Nittany Lions than Saquon and Sanders showing out every Sunday, and it is hard to imagine Brown would have not been the next guy to be doing that if not for the heart condition that forced him to retire from the game of football.

Out of that group, only Sanders was a higher recruit than Singleton currently is, as Sanders was a five star prospect in the 2016 class. The six-foot and 210 pound Singleton currently checks in as a  four-star talent, ranked as the 42nd best player overall in the ’22 class by 247sports.

The Governor Mifflin tailback made it known that he and the staff seem to be in pretty constant communication and he is clearly a priority for the Nittany Lions.

"I’ve been talking to coach Seider, coach Franklin, and basically their whole staff.” Singleton said.  “I did a Zoom meeting last week with them. They were talking about how bad they want me, that I’m an in-state player and there is no place better than Penn State because it’s home. They want me strictly as a running back.”"

It makes sense that Franklin and Seider would make Singleton such a priority seeing that they did not sign a running back in the 2021 class, making 2022 a potential two running back class. Transfer John Lovett will only have one year in Happy Valley, while Noah Cain, if healthy could be off to the NFL after this upcoming season as well.

Running backs will be a priority in this class in general, but it is clear the Nittany Lions are hoping to make Singleton the next great in-state running back to terrorize Big Ten opponents.