Penn State football acquired running back James Peoples out of the Transfer Portal in January. Immediately, the former Ohio State rusher sparked excitement and anticipation for what he'll bring to the Nittany Lions.
Running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton are off to the NFL. Someone must replace the star-studded duo, and running back Quinton Martin Jr. is only one player. On top of that, Martin didn't get the amount of playing time necessary to prove he can fill those shoes of Allen and Singleton. He played in 14 games over his first two seasons, registering 33 carries for 135 yards.
Peoples' production was also limited as a Buckeye, totaling 22 carries for 110 yards and five touchdowns over 22 games. However, he's perceived as a veteran-like talent for Penn State. Like Martin, Peoples will log more snaps as a Nittany Lion. Head coach Matt Campbell gives both players an opportunity to tap into their potential.
"Peoples could make a lot of noise in a hurry," Tyler Donohue of Lions247 said. "I wouldn't be surprised if, by the time we get to Big Ten action, people are paying more attention to this guy because he did some special things in non-conference play."
Donohue, Daniel Gallan, and Tyler Calvaruso broke down what's interesting about Peoples. Aside from his talent that Donohue expects to show from Week 1, Gallan noted how closely interlocked Peoples and Martin are as former Class of 2024 top running back recruits.
Will an Ohio State transfer make a major impact for Penn State?@TDsTake @danieljtgallen & @tyler_calvaruso discussed that topic and much more on the latest @Lions247 Podcast: https://t.co/E3tJuzJijp pic.twitter.com/l4hRHsNLPR
— Lions247 (@Lions247) March 15, 2026
"It's kind of funny with Peoples because he was within one spot of [Martin] in this Class of 2024 running back rankings. And he comes in, same age as [Martin], . . . [as] a veteran who has all this experience. And with [Martin], it's like he's still a young guy who's ascending and whatnot. That just goes to the fact that [Peoples] got to play over his first two years in college, and [Martin] did not for myriad reasons," Gallan said.
"I think the Peoples addition is pretty interesting. I think he's one of these guys that . . . when you bring him in and you put him in a different role, what does it look like? How does that change things for him? I'm pretty intrigued by him . . . pretty big, pretty well put together, which you would expect [from] someone who is a high-profile prospect [that] got to spend two years at a top program [at] Ohio State."
That difference in perception can come back to either hurt or help Martin, specifically. It's not just the former Buckeye and returning Nittany Lion in that running back room.
Senior rusher Carson Hansen transferred from Iowa State to join Campbell in Happy Valley. As he's expected to be the starter for the Nittany Lions, the non-conference slate will be telling as to whether Campbell believes that RB2 role should be filled by Peoples or Martin. From an outside perspective alone, right now Peoples might be the guy for the Nittany Lions behind Hansen even though Martin is right there with him.
That's not to say Martin won't be a solid RB3 and that Campbell won't take advantage of depth during the 2026 season. When thinking about how that order on the depth chart falls, though, Martin might be in another bottom of the totem pole scenario.