Penn State’s running back room was stocked with experience this time last year. Noah Cain transferred to LSU before spring ball opened in 2022. But fourth-year rusher Devyn Ford was back. So were third-year backs Keyvone Lee and Caziah Holmes.

Fast forward to February, and none of those three were on Penn State’s roster. Holmes entered the transfer portal last August. Ford left the team in October. Lee put his name in the portal two weeks after Penn State won the Rose Bowl.

All three departures saw the writing on the wall. Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen were the present and the future of Penn State’s ground game. But where does that leave the Nittany Lions’ running back room as spring camp gets underway?

Right now on campus, it’s Singleton, Allen and a handful of walk-ons. Penn State’s 2023 running back signees, London Montgomery and Cameron Wallace, are enrolling in the summer. They’ll have to wait to compete for carries.

In the meantime, the likes of Tank Smith, Amiel Davis and Tyler Holzworth will receive “a ton of reps” in spring camp, head coach James Franklin said Tuesday.

“Not just to develop depth,” Franklin said, “but also just to be smart with the other two.”

Singleton, the Big Ten freshman of the year, rushed for 1,061 yards and 12 touchdowns last year. Allen ran for 867 yards and 10 scores. The last thing Franklin wants is Singleton or Allen picking up a serious injury in March or April.

But unless Smith, Holzworth or Davis take a serious step forward and push for a scholarship, expect the question over running back depth to persist into the summer when Montgomery and Wallace arrive.

Montgomery, a four-star talent from Scranton Prep, is coming off an ACL tear that forced him to miss his senior season. The 5-foot-11 back committed to Penn State over nearly two dozen schools, including Big Ten foes Michigan and Iowa.

Montgomery told PennLive last September that he hoped to make an impact as a true freshman after seeing Singleton and Allen do the same.

“That gives me more hope,” Montgomery said while rehabbing his injury. “It gives me the inspiration to go out there and hopefully make a difference. … Hopefully I’m next up.”

Wallace will challenge him for that spot. The 5-foot-9 speedster was a three-star addition days before the December signing period. He had offers from Georgia Tech, Indiana, Michigan State, West Virginia, Vanderbilt and Washington State.

Either Wallace or Montgomery could emerge as Penn State’s third tailback, someone to spell Singleton and Allen or fill in due to injury.

There’s also the possibility of Penn State adding a veteran in the portal when it opens in May. But that would be a tough sell. “Come be a third-stringer behind arguably the best running back tandem in the country” doesn’t exactly scream opportunity.

It’s more likely Montgomery, Wallace or a walk-on assumes that role behind Singleton and Allen. That’s what Franklin is hoping for, at least.

“That’s the exact reason why we ended up signing two running backs,” Franklin said. “Whether the third back comes from who we currently have in the program or whether the third back comes from an incoming freshman, that’s what we’ve got to figure out between this spring and then summer camp, as well, for depth but also to make sure we’re not overworking those two guys, either.”

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