Penn State football running back Cam Wallace had five carries, 19 rushing yards, one reception, and 12 receiving yards against Nevada in Week 1 of the 2025 season. The redshirt sophomore saw time on the field in the fourth quarter of the afternoon after the Nittany Lions (1-0) created a big enough gap on the scoreboard to rule it a blowout and give backup players some live reps.
In Week 3 against Kent State in 2024, Wallace sustained a major injury that sidelined him for the rest of the season. While head coach James Franklin didn't share the specifics of the injury at the time, he discussed what the running back recovered from following his return against the Wolf Pack.
"Wallace last year had a play where he got tackled and got bent back in the pile," Franklin said on the Penn State Coaches Show. ". . . . on that play he broke both of his legs on the same play, and in my 30 years, I'd never seen that before."
James Franklin shared on his weekly radio show that Penn State RB Cam Wallace broke both of his legs last season when he was injured vs. Kent State in week three.
— Zach Seyko (@zach_seyko) September 4, 2025
Wallace is now healthy and proved that by hurdling a man in his first return to action.
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James Franklin reveals running back Cam Wallace broke both of his legs against Kent State in Week 3 of 2024
Wallace didn't hold back in Week 1 now fully recovered. Franklin nodded to how impressive his return to health was, especially to take the field and hurdle over a player on the second touch he makes.
"The [second] touch he gets in the first game of the year coming off that injury he hurdles a guy, so I think his legs are okay," Franklin said. "But just super impressive, and I couldn't be more proud of him."
On Monday at a media availability with the Philadelphia Eagles, former Nittany Lion Saquon Barkley was asked about the Wallace hurdle. The pro running back said that he talked to Wallace via social media about his injury and praised him for his abilities after recovering from that kind of injury.
"I loved it, I loved it," Barkley said of the hurdle.
James Franklin says RB3 is an ongoing competition in midweek media
Now with Wallace back, the running back room just got even deeper. What Franklin is looking for is consistency and being a dynamic player on the field. He said during his midweek availability on Monday that getting the yards and understanding the scheme is one thing, but breaking tackles and making a statement as a running back is another. That's what he's looking for as he assesses who slips into that RB3 spot for the season.
"It's still a battle with those guys, whether that is [Wallace], Corey [Smith], Quinton [Martin Jr.], I think you could put Tikey [Hayes] and Jabree [Coleman] in there as well," Franklin said on Monday. ". . . It's about consistency."