A look back at Nick Singleton’s epic recruitment

4. Commitment day

On July 6, 2021, at a little after 5 p.m., Nick Singleton announced his commitment to Penn State on CBS Sports HQ.

This was a massive recruiting victory for the Nittany Lions as they held off Notre Dame and multiple other powerhouse programs.

As we later learned, this was not the slam dunk for Penn State that many thought it was. Singleton seriously considered committing to Notre Dame.

Tom Loy of Irish Illustrated noted in an article, “Notre Dame Making a Run at the Nation’s No. 1 Running Back” that Notre Dame thought they had Singleton’s recruitment in the bag

"Before Reading (Pa.) Governor Mifflin running back Nicholas Singleton committed to Penn State on July 6, Notre Dame nearly won his recruitment. Depending on who you talk with, some sources are adamant that he informed the Irish staff he was coming, while others think he was torn on his final decision all the way up until announcing his verbal to the Nittany Lions."

As we see, Notre Dame thought Singleton was theirs, but Penn State’s relationship with Singleton, and the school’s recent success with running backs, helped them win the recruitment. Penn State needed Singleton, and they got him.

This was an epic battle that the Nittany Lions won, but it technically wasn’t over.