Nick Singleton's situation makes it clear, Penn State has an NIL problem… and a big one

Penn State is hoping for a bounce-back junior season from Nick Singleton after he struggled to produce the explosive plays in 2023 that he became known for as a freshman. However, before improved production from Singleton, James Franklin was just hoping for his star running back to return to Happy Valley. 

Johnny McGonigal of PennLive.com wrote about Singleton’s loyalty this offseason when other big-time programs were hoping to poach him with exorbitant NIL packages and the story featured this nugget from Singleton's father.

“Penn State isn’t paying that,” and that’s a big problem. James Franklin has been unable to get the Nittany Lions over the hump through the first 10 years of his tenure, but now that many of the head coaches that Franklin is tasked with leapfrogging are sitting on massive NIL war chests, turning Penn State into a true national championship contender will be even tougher. 

A legendary program situated in the heart of a football-crazed state with two major cities at either end should have more successful fundraising campaigns than Penn State’s “Retain the Roar” campaign which had a goal of $500,000. At the start of the 2024 offseason, Ohio State’s collective “THE Foundation” raised $500,000 in a week. 

Will Penn State ever have the resources at its disposal that Dan Lanning does in Eugene, Oregon with backing from Phil Knight? Probably not. However, Singleton’s comments indicate that Penn State may not simply be lagging behind a powerhouse like Oregon, but plenty of other programs too. 

Singleton wasn’t seduced by the dollar signs and that’s a credit to the culture that Franklin has built in Happy Valley, but in the future, not every star player will be so loyal. This offseason alone, Penn State saw 13 players leave through the portal and only added six. 

While KeAndre Lambert-Smith and Dante Cephas had fallen out of favor with the coaching staff, losing a young player like King Mack after just one year at Penn State is a significant blow to the future of the defense. If Franklin can’t find a way to close the NIL discrepancy between his program and his competitor’s, then that drip of talent out of the program will become a leak and eventually, it could burst. 

“Penn State isn’t paying that,” and right now that’s fine. The Nittany Lions were picked to finish third in the Big Ten and enter the year at No. 8 overall in the AP poll, but in a few years if Penn State still isn’t paying that, then it will have to reckon with a new reality as one of college football’s have-nots in recruiting and the transfer portal.