Penn State football's senior running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen followed up with four-stars true freshman Jabree Wallace-Coleman, redshirt freshman Corey Smith, and redshirt freshman Quinton Martin Jr. may be the best running back unit in college football heading into the 2025-26 season.
Singleton, who is currently fifth all-time in rushing touchdowns at Penn State with 32, is a program and Big Ten record setter. In 2022, he became the top freshman in rushing touchdowns in Penn State history and also became one of the first true freshman teammates in Big Ten history to reach 700 or more rushing yards in one season.
The other true freshman Nittany Lion at the time? Allen.
Allen is ninth in program history in rushing attempts, 11th in rushing yards, and 15th in rushing touchdowns. As a freshman, he finished right behind Singleton for most rushing touchdowns in program history. He hit 1,000 rushing yards for the first time in his NCAA career as a junior in 2024.
The two running backs have a trend of accomplishing things together. In 2024, they became the first running back duo to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. Singleton and Allen are also the second duo, behind Lydell Mitchell and Franco Harris, to reach 2,000 career rushing yards.
Now as seniors, Singleton and Allen have raised the bar high for Penn State's running back core.
PFF College says Singleton and Allen will lead a No. 1 running back unit in 2025-26
Max Chadwick of PFF College created a ranking of each position in college football after the College Football Playoff championship. Both Singleton and Allen made the list at No. 3 and No. 6, respectively.
But that's not all. When looking at position strength across the college football landscape, Chadwick recently threw Penn State up at No. 1 on the running back list. Chadwick wrote:
"Among returning Power Four backs since 2023, Singleton has the most receiving yards (682) and is the second-most valuable one according to PFF’s wins above average metric. Allen is second among returning Power Four rushers with a 92.5 rushing grade and 2,000 rushing yards since 2023."
In 2024, Singleton made 12 starts and had 172 carries for 1,099 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. On the receiving side, he made 41 catches for 375 yards with five receiving touchdowns. Allen made five starts as junior, rushing for 1,108 yards and eight touchdowns on 220 carries with 18 receptions for 153 yards and two touchdowns in addition. He had four 100-yard games in 2024, and just like Singleton, program, conference, and personal record setting won't hit a plateau in 2025-26.
Right behind this star-studded duo are former four-star recruits who are entering either their true freshmen or redshirt freshmen seasons. Smith and Martin Jr. came into the Nittany Lion program together. When former running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider left Penn State to go to Notre Dame, the two stayed put in Happy Valley despite the chaos ensued by the transfer portal for athletes vying for more time on the field.
Though only appearing in four games, Smith logged Penn State's longest rush of the season in his college debut against Washington. The 78-yard rush was part of his total 152 net rushing yards and 22 carries in his true freshman season. Despite not reaching triple digits in net rushing yards in 2024, Martin Jr. made six game appearances and added three receptions for 18 yards to his resume. This will be Wallace-Coleman's first season with the Nittany Lions. He was the No. 21 overall running back and No. 6 recruit out of Pennsylvania in the class of 2025 recruits, according to 247Sports.
While Smith, Martin Jr., and Wallace-Coleman will likely see very little playing time in the 2025-26 season with Singleton and Allen leading the position's pack, the three additions have shown head coach James Franklin what they're capable of if need be, acting almost as a security blanket for the Nittany Lions.