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Does Penn State Football have enough depth at the running back position?

By Alec Whitaker

PISCATAWAY, NJ - NOVEMBER 19: Running back Kaytron Allen #13 of the Penn State Nittany Lions is congratulated by teammates Tyler Warren #44, Juice Scruggs #70 and Drew Shelton #66 after scoring a touchdown on an eight-yard run during the third quarter of a game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium on November 19, 2022 in Piscataway, New Jersey. Penn State defeated Rutgers 55-10. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
PISCATAWAY, NJ - NOVEMBER 19: Running back Kaytron Allen #13 of the Penn State Nittany Lions is congratulated by teammates Tyler Warren #44, Juice Scruggs #70 and Drew Shelton #66 after scoring a touchdown on an eight-yard run during the third quarter of a game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium on November 19, 2022 in Piscataway, New Jersey. Penn State defeated Rutgers 55-10. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /
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Penn State Football will return two of the best and youngest running backs in the country in 2023. 

Penn State Football has two stars at the running back position in Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, but there are question marks after them.

Depth is important in college football and especially at a position that takes the physical beating that the running back one does.

The Nittany Lions will rely heavily on their two stars in 2023, but after them there’s a lot of unknown on the roster.

The two veteran running backs from the 2022 team, Keyvone Lee and Devyn Ford, will not return to the team in 2023.

That means that if something was to happen to one of Singleton and Allen, the Nittany Lions would be relying on either a walk on or a true freshman in meaningful situations. With Penn State having high hopes for the 2023 season, that’s not exactly ideal.

The options behind the two to be sophomores include three walk ons in Tank Smith, Tyler Holzworth and Amiel Davis. Both Smith and Holzworth have seen action before but mostly in mop up duty.

The 2023 recruiting class included two running backs in 4-star London Montgomery and 3-star Cam Wallace. Under normal circumstances, Montgomery would be the favorite for the third running back spot, but he’s coming off an ACL injury suffered in August and it’s still unclear if he will be ready for the start of the season.

Wallace is a speedster, but he’s a raw prospect and may need some time before seeing meaningful action. It would not be a surprise to see Wallace make an early impact in the kick return game though, his speed will play.

It also doesn’t help that neither incoming running back was able to enroll early and get a head start in their development.

Ideally, Penn State Football would be able to bring in a veteran running back from the transfer portal. That will be a difficult pull though because the Nittany Lions cannot sell playing time with Singleton and Allen there.

The hope is that Penn State will not have to reach down the depth chart at running back for help in 2023, but as we saw in 2020, it can happen.

The Nittany Lions certainly have the numbers at running back, but experience is a concern heading into the 2023 season.

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