Penn State has seen three running backs leave in the last 12 months. Caziah Holmes, Devyn Ford and Keyvone Lee transferred — and all three exits were tied, at least in part, to the rise of Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen.

Singleton and Allen burst onto the scene as freshmen last season, setting Big Ten records and driving Penn State to an 11-win season. Now, Singleton and Allen make up one of the top running back tandems in college football.

So when Trey Potts decided to transfer from Minnesota to Penn State in April, running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider was upfront with him. He felt like he had to be.

“When he said he wanted to come in, I said, ‘Are you sure?’ ” Seider said this week. “What you don’t want to do is lie to a kid and say, ‘You’re going to come in and beat these guys out.’ That’s not true. We have two NFL backs. Let’s be honest.”

But Potts took on the challenge anyway. So did London Montgomery and Cameron Wallace, signing in the 2023 recruiting class knowing full well that Allen and Singleton have at least two more years in Happy Valley before NFL teams come calling.

Potts, Wallace and Montgomery find themselves in a unique spot. Singleton and Allen are going to dominate the rock again after owning 323 of 384 running back carries (84.1%) last season. But there’s a sliver of opportunity there for the taking.

“In their minds, they’re all competing for the third spot,” Seider said after Monday’s practice. “Because everyone can see who the top two guys are.”

Potts seemingly would have an inside track to that No. 3 job. The Williamsport native totaled nearly 1,200 yards and 11 touchdowns in 24 games at Minnesota. He’s a Big Ten veteran with two years of eligibility left, and he doesn’t want to waste them.

It isn’t a simple “plug and play” scenario with Potts. Penn State’s and Minnesota’s offenses are starkly different. Potts still is learning the intricacies of Mike Yurcich’s system. Seider even said, “You almost have to treat him like a freshman.”

But Seider recognizes that Potts’ experience at the Power Five level — like the three straight 100-yard games he had in 2021 — helps his cause. So does his approach.

“I’ve got a ton of respect for a kid who would transfer and come into that room when you’ve got two underclassmen with two years, minimum, of football left,” Seider said. “He’s not afraid to compete, and he’s willing to bet on himself.”

Seider gave the freshmen credit, too. The position coach had meetings with Wallace and Montgomery in which he asked them where they saw themselves. Both said they were eyeing the No. 3 job, which Seider loved.

Wallace and Montgomery have a right to be confident. Wallace was an overlooked prospect from Georgia but has the speed and ball skills necessary to make a sneaky impact as a freshman. Montgomery missed his senior year at Scranton Prep with a torn ACL but boasts a four-star pedigree and impressive junior tape.

Since arriving, both freshmen have been “tough,” Seider said — a word he doesn’t use lightly.

“For me, to see two young guys … throw their weight around and stick it up in there,” Seider said. “You always worry about that early. When is the light gonna go off to say I can play at this level? Never had to question that when they run the ball. In that regard, they’re ahead of the curve. … I’m really pleased.”

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