Penn State Football: will the Nittany Lions be better or worse at each position on offense?

Running Backs

While the offensive line was the primary reason why, the running backs still shoulder some responsibility for Penn State’s inability to effectively run the ball in 2021.

Keyvone Lee is the lead returning back in terms of both experience and production. He averaged a not great, but respectable 4.9 yards per carry in each of his first two seasons, and listed at over 230 pounds, he hasn’t been quite as dynamic and explosive as what Penn State Football fans are used to. However, he looked quicker and more decisive in the spring scrimmage, which is obviously a good sign.

Gone are last year’s second and third running backs – Noah Cain and John Lovett – and true freshmen Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen will replace them.

There has already been a ton of hype surrounding Singleton, and he possesses that game-breaking speed and quickness that the Nittany Lions have lacked since Journey Brown’s retirement. If he can perform as advertised, or even remotely close to it, Nick Singleton alone will make this running back room much better.

As for Kaytron Allen, he does not possess the same level of elite speed and athleticism as his counterpart in Singleton, but he is a well-rounded back that can do a little bit of everything. He can certainly bring a lot of value to this running back room – especially with his high level of football maturity – and could be a nice change-of-pace back to complement Lee and Singleton.

Finally, Devyn Ford and Caziah Holmes also return for their fourth and third seasons respectively, and while it is unlikely that either of them gets a ton of touches in 2022, it will be helpful to have some veteran backs with some experience to provide depth behind what projects as the top three in Lee, Singleton, and Allen.

Penn State’s running back room should be much improved from the one we saw in 2021, and – like the quarterbacks – a pair of highly touted true freshmen are a big reason why.