James Franklin: Penn State running backs ready for next step
Asked about his star sophomore running backs, Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, James Franklin’s first comments were telling. Joining On3’s J.D. PicKell on The Hard Count last week, the Penn State head coach put his optimism for the pair this coming season in context.
“They just had so much success last year as true freshmen,” Franklin began.
For Singleton, that success took shape in record-setting fashion. Finishing with 1,061 yards on the ground, his 12 rushing touchdowns set a school mark for a freshman. He also became just the third back in Nittany Lion history to eclipse 1,000 yards on the ground as a freshman.
The effort included unmistakable highlights like his Beaver Stadium debut of 179 yards on 10 carries against Ohio, his 54-yard fourth-quarter touchdown at Auburn, the 100-yard kickoff return at Rutgers, and his 87-yard Rose Bowl score in the win over Utah. In the process, Singleton picked up the Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors along with a host of other awards. And, maybe more important to Penn State football’s prospects, he established a threat that opposing defensive coordinators can’t ignore.
“Nick is kind of the home run guy. He went for an 80-yarder in the Rose Bowl against Utah,” Franklin said. “He’s one of those guys that can break it at any moment.”
Two complementary pieces
Meanwhile, Allen represents a different but similarly vexing challenge to opponents. Ending his freshman season with 867 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns, Allen was a picture of consistency and productivity.
For the effort, he was also an All-Big Ten honorable mention pick and the co-Most Valuable Offensive Player for Penn State internally with Singleton. He also twice earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week recognition.
Beyond the accolades, though, Franklin pointed to the details that Allen does so well as worthy of appreciation.
“Kaytron is kind of like, he’s the guy that if you’re a true football guy and you watch him, you just have a ton of respect for how he plays the game,” Franklin said. “He’s the guy that’s gonna be productive carry after carry, six yards, eight yards, 12 yards. He will pop a 20-yarder in there. Just a very efficient running back who knows how to play the position.”
Next steps
Given the attention likely to be directed to stopping both backs this season, the path toward future success outshining last season isn’t guaranteed.
Understanding the challenges that are ahead, though, Franklin cited improvements that are expected for the Nittany Lions within other position groups that should help the running backs continue on the trajectory that has generated so much excitement within the program this offseason.
“Based on what those two were able to do as true freshmen, and behind an offensive line and a tight end group that we think are going to be better, obviously there’s a lot of excitement for those two to be able to take the next step and have a big impact,” Franklin said. “That’s not only on our program, but also I think there’ll be a lot of people talking about those two this year.”
