Nick Singleton committed to Penn State in 2024

DETROIT — Nick Singleton held his arms outstretched as if a burden had been lifted from his shoulders. The sophomore running back, after crossing into the Ford Field end zone, basked in the moment before others joined. Offensive lineman Vega Ioane hoisted him in the air. Athletic director Pat Kraft hugged him on the sideline.

Singleton’s late touchdown capped the kind of performance that has eluded him of late. Singleton reminded everyone in Penn State’s 42-0 win over Michigan State why he was billed as one of the best backs in college football entering the season.

He totaled 186 total yards: 118 rushing and 68 receiving. That included a 53-yard catch-and-run reminiscent of last year’s No. 10.

The smile Singleton wore gliding into the end zone hasn’t been there at times this season. That, combined with Kaytron Allen’s presence, fueled concern for some that he could transfer. Perhaps, a select few suggested, Singleton would be better off entering the portal when it opens Dec. 5 and moving to a team where he would be the undisputed No. 1 back.

Singleton shut down that possibility in the Ford Field visiting media room.

“I’m committed,” Singleton said, asked about his future at Penn State. “I’m committed to the whole team, Coach (James) Franklin, Coach (Ja’Juan) Seider, the whole coaching staff. I’m telling ya, I’m not leaving. I’m staying here.”

That unwavering commitment is crucial for Penn State in 2024. It also will be crucial for Singleton to continue to produce like he did Friday night.

Earlier this week, Franklin stated Singleton has had a “better year” than he did in 2022 and has developed into a more “well-rounded football player.” While he might have improved as a blocker and receiver, Singleton’s rushing stats tell another story.

Coming into the regular season finale, Singleton was sitting on 584 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 4.03 yards per carry with two rushes of 20-plus yards. He had yet to crack 100 yards rushing through 11 games, which would have been a shock to find out 11 months ago when Singleton dominated at the Rose Bowl.

Singleton was a freshman All-American. The former five-star prospect broke out with 1,061 rushing yards (6.8 per carry) and 12 scores, leading all Power 5 players with seven rushes of 40-plus yards.

Singleton was a threat to take it the distance every time he touched the ball in 2022. This year, it hasn’t felt like that’s necessarily been the case.

Singleton recognizes that this fall hasn’t been perfect. While winning matters above all else to him, he said, individually, he’s had just an “OK” season. Singleton thought there would be more games like Friday night when he and Allen feasted.

Singleton and Allen made Big Ten history last year, becoming the first freshman duo in conference history to each rush for more than 800 yards each. So it was reasonable to expect that Penn State’s running game would keep rolling.

“After what we did last year, defenses have defended us in different ways,” Singleton said. “To have a game like this, it meant a lot. … We knew it would come. We just had to stay with it.”

It meant a lot to Allen, too. The bruising back tallied a career-high 137 yards. But to do it alongside Singleton hitting the century mark was extra sweet. Believe it or not, Friday was the first time in 23 games together that both rushed for over 100 yards.

Allen said it felt like a “building block” into the bowl game and 2024.

“It’s a great combination. Everybody knows that. Everybody keeps saying that,” Singleton added. “We have to keep working, keep feeding off each other, keep competing, on the field, off the field, whatever it is. We’ll take that into the bowl game and obviously next year.”

Next year will look different for the Nittany Lions. Mike Yurcich is gone, and Franklin is going to spend the weekend interviewing offensive coordinator candidates. He also is going to spend the next week or so having one-on-one meetings with every player.

If there was any concern around how Franklin’s meeting with Singleton would go, or how he might react to a potential coordinator hire, the running back made it clear that he’s staying in Happy Valley next season.