DALLAS — Penn State’s running back depth chart starts with redshirt sophomore Journey Brown, and after that, the Lions have three more intriguing options in freshmen Noah Cain and Devyn Ford and sophomore Ricky Slade.

At the beginning of the season, Slade was the No. 1 guy. But Brown was more consistent as the year went on, and he leads the Lions in rushing with 688 yards and 10 scores. Cain has had his moments, and so has Ford.

Slade still is trying to regain some of the 2018 form that enabled him to run for 257 yards and six touchdowns on only 45 carries, working behind Miles Sanders.

Slade, a former five-star recruit, hasn’t received more than eight carries in one game. His single-game high is 48 yards against Michigan, and 44 of those yards occurred on one carry.

But Slade is expected to be part of Penn State’s talented rotation again in 2020, with Brown, Cain and Ford back and talented four-star backs Caziah Holmes and Keyvone Lee set to join the running back fold.

Slade said his 2019 experience in the Penn State running back room has made him a better player, and he knows 2020 will be an even more competitive environment.

“It’s made me 100 percent better,” Slade said Thursday with Penn State prepping for Saturday’s Cotton Bowl date with Memphis.

“It’s made me better in that, we all have different types of games. Noah, working with him helped me lower my shoulder, get some power back in me. Devyn, he’s got great hips. Journey, he’s got great speed.”

Franklin was asked about the Penn State running back competition earlier this month and what the additions of Holmes and Lee mean for the current PSU running backs.

“I think we’re building a reputation, kind of we’re talked about as ‘LBU’ (Linebacker U),” Franklin said. “We keep going in this trajectory, there could be people in a couple of years talking about us as ‘RBU’. I love it. I love when guys never ask you about the depth chart during the recruiting process.

“I’m not saying it’s a negative when people do ask about it, but my point is, guys understand, if you’re going to go to a school that you want to compete at the highest level for conference championships, for national championships and all those types of things, you’re going to have to compete wherever you go,” Franklin continued.

“The top programs are recruiting the best players in the country year after year after year, and if you expect to compete in the NFL, then you’d better learn to compete on a college campus.”

“I feel like we’re still going to have the same feeling,” Slade said when asked about the new running back additions for 2020.

“We’re still going to be competing in practice, we’re still going to be having fun. I don’t really know how it’s going to be next year.

“But I know right now, that’s how we’re doing it. We’re having fun, hopefully next year it will be the same way.”

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