Nick Singleton, Penn State’s new game-changer, shows Ohio what a 5-star talent looks like

STATE COLLEGE — Throughout the offseason there were hints, some of them not subtle, from Penn State’s players and coaches about what Nick Singleton could do if he reached the second level of a defense.

The five-star signee from Governor Mifflin in the Reading area had destroyed high school opponents when given the slightest bit of room.

Well, he isn’t any fun to play against when given space at this level, either.

The 6-foot, 219-pound true freshman, a January enrollee, ripped Ohio for 179 yards and two scores on 10 carries in the Nittany Lions’ 46-10 triumph Saturday afternoon at Beaver Stadium in front of 107,306. He had the PSU crowd roaring at the combination of his speed and power.

Singleton scored on runs of 70 yards (his first) and 44 yards, and he also added a 48-yard burst. He became the Lions’ first back to go for 100 or more yards since Keyvone Lee ran for 134 yards and a score in a win at Michigan on Nov. 28, 2020.

But as good as Singleton was, 2022 classmate Drew Allar’s performance was right there with his.

The five-star quarterback, another January enrollee, entered the game to thunderous applause with 11:33 left in the third quarter and Penn State leading 26-7. Playing with poise beyond his years, Allar completed 6 of 8 passes for 88 yards and two scores. He put the ball on the money, showing a huge arm on some throws and touch on others.

These two are the Lions’ future and pushing to become the present for James Franklin. Penn State’s road trip to Auburn Saturday should be revealing.

“That’s going to be a nice combo in the future, those guys,” Penn State veteran Ji’Ayir Brown said of Singleton and Allar afterward.

“When Nick hits the open field though, man, I call all of them touchdowns. I said ‘Nick, when he gets to the second level, you need to put your track cleats on.’ ”

This kind of speed for someone this large is hard to fathom but Singleton has it, much like Saquon Barkley had it in State College from 2015-17.

Get him in the open and odds are good Singleton will either outrun you or go through and then outrun you.

Singleton did that to Ohio corner John Gregory on his 70-yard TD run with 2:28 left in the first quarter. The defensive back had a decent angle near the PSU sideline. But by that time, Singleton was motoring in fifth gear and Gregory barely fazed the runner.

“I do think what happens with Nick is, he’s got such good speed that maybe in years past, when the read would be cloudy, and you’d want to bounce it, we didn’t always have the speed to get to the edge like he does,” Franklin said.

“And he’s shown the ability to do that. So a run that may typically be 3 or 4 yards has a chance to be 80 with him.”

Singleton has been doing this to Penn State’s defense in practice, dating back to the early days of spring.

“Nothing different. This guy has been explosive,” Brown said of Singleton.

“This is Nick, this is his personality, this is nothing new, and this is what we expect out of him.”

What can Penn State do with Singleton and Allar, and how soon will they earn bigger roles? That’s the question.

Franklin just experienced a 4-5 season (2020) followed by a 7-6 year. His Lions are 2-0 and they have legit depth at almost every position. Singleton can change the game with one run or catch, Allar with one throw. When is the last time Penn State had two first-year blue-chippers like these? Ever?

They are going to be a tough matchup for players and coaches. Franklin believes Singleton, currently in a four-man rotation, is going to change how defensive coordinators think when scheming to stop the Lions’ offense.

“When (opposing coordinators) know that they’re not in their gap or they make a mistake, that there’s a back on the other side that can go 80 yards at any point,” Franklin said.

“There’s a lot of value in that and I think it affects how people call the game, too.”

“I don’t think we really block differently (for Singleton),” Penn State tight end Tyler Warren said.

“We give him 5 yards and then he breaks one tackle and … it’s like a 70-yard run. … He’s capable of that.”

The Lions finished with 234 rushing yards on 34 attempts. Seven players picked up 65 yards on 24 attempts. Lee carried once for zero yards.

Singleton did the rest on 10 carries. Ten.

Is he the future, or the present?