Penn State Football: Which freshman 5-star will make the biggest impact in 2022?

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Penn State freshman running back Nicholas Singleton (10) lines up to be recognized with his fellow members of the 2022 recruit class at the 2022 Blue-White game at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, April 23, 2022, in State College.Hes Dr 042322 Bluewhite /

Nick Singleton

Nick Singleton was rated as the No.1 running back in the country in the 2022 cycle.

The Nittany Lions fought hard to win the commitment of the Reading, PA product. It was one of James Franklin’s best recruiting victories.

An explosive back, Singleton brings some juice to Penn State’s running back room, which struggled mightily in 2021. While not all of the blame of those struggles should go to the running backs, they definitely could use a spark.

Singelton has already turned heads, thanks to him enrolling early back in January. He was one of the stars of the Blue and White Game back in April and showed some promise for the future.

While Keyvone Lee looks like the starter to start the season, Singleton has the talent to push him. This situation feels similar to 2015, when true freshman Saquon Barkley stole the starting job from a couple veterans by the fourth game of the year.

Even if he doesn’t start, Singleton will likely be RB2 for the start of the season. Even as the second stringer, Singleton will receive plenty of touches.

2022 Impact: High

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