Penn State RB Kaytron Allen named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week

Penn State running back Kaytron Allen finished his senior season in style this past weekend, rushing for 226 yards and a touchdown in a 40-36 win over Rutgers.

Not only did his efforts help the Nittany Lions become bowl eligible, getting them to 6-6 on the season, but it also earned him Big Ten Player of the Week honors for the third consecutive week. Allen is also the only player in the Big Ten to earn either offensive or defensive player of the week honors three times this season.

After breaking the school’s all-time career rushing record the week prior, Allen also surpassed 4,000 yards rushing in the final regular-season game of his collegiate career. Teammate Nick Singleton also became Penn State’s all-time leader in all-purpose yards against the Scarlet Knights.

“Offense was unbelievable tonight,” said Penn State interim head coach Terry Smith following Saturday’s win over Rutgers. “They had their way running for over 300 yards. Kaytron [Allen] for over 200 yards. Nick Singleton breaking the all-purpose yards record and having a really good day. I was super proud of the offense. They answered the call.”

Throughout Penn State’s three-game winning streak, Allen totaled 567 yards rushing and five touchdowns, averaging 7.9 yards per carry. He finished the 2025 regular season with 1,303 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Last week, ESPN’s Mel Kiper listed Allen as his sixth-best available running back in next spring’s NFL Draft. Singleton is actually listed just ahead of Allen as the fifth-best available back. Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price are No. 1 and 2, respectively, followed by Washington’s Jonah Coleman and Michigan’s Justice Haynes.

“Personally, I can’t recall ever seeing two backs with such great yardage numbers,” Smith said, referring to Allen and Singleton. “It’s rare two guys share the ball for four years. Sometimes Saquon Barkley overlapped with Miles Sanders, but they didn’t really share.

“These guys literally shared for four years, and really, both of them reaped the rewards of sharing. It speaks volumes to both of their characters. One of them could have transferred, one of them could have went somewhere and been the guy. For them to stay with us, it speaks volumes about Penn State itself. Just super proud of those guys.”