Former Minnesota running back Trey Potts commits to Penn State

Ahead of last year’s Penn State-Minnesota game, there were a noticeable number of Golden Gophers fans outside Beaver Stadium wearing customized “POTTS” jerseys.

Those friends and family members will have to get new gear this year.

Trey Potts, a Williamsport native and Minnesota running back, is transferring to Penn State ahead of the 2023 season. Potts, who is set to have two years of eligibility remaining, announced the news on Wednesday night.

Potts is a nice addition for James Franklin and his staff, who were looking for another veteran presence for the running back room. The former Williamsport High School star projects as the Nittany Lions’ third tailback behind Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen.

Potts, a former three-star prospect, redshirted in 2019 before playing in five games in 2020. Potts filled in for injured star Mohamed Ibrahim in 2021, rushing for 552 yards and six touchdowns in five games before suffering an unspecified season-ending injury of his own. In 2022, he returned to rush for 474 yards and three scores.

Potts’ best performances came in 2021 when he hit the century mark in three consecutive games (178 yards vs. Miami-Ohio, 121 vs. Colorado, 141 vs. Bowling Green).

Potts’ role diminished as the 2022 season progressed, averaging 72.8 yards per game in September before averaging 19.5 yards in his final eight outings. The three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree had only five carries for 7 yards in Minnesota’s White Out loss to Penn State on Oct. 22.

Prior to signing with Minnesota, Potts totaled 3,490 yards and 59 touchdowns on the ground for Williamsport. The former Millionaires standout committed to the Golden Gophers over offers from a number of schools including Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple and Virginia.

With Potts, running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider will have a talented back to, at the very least, help spell Singleton and Allen, who combined for 1,958 rushing yards as freshmen. Penn State also has 2023 signees London Montgomery and Cameron Wallace arriving on campus after the spring semester concludes.