When Penn State football coach James Franklin was asked about Gov. Mifflin’s Nick Singleton on Wednesday, he quickly mentioned the Nittany Lions’ success with running backs from within the state.
Saquon Barkley (Whitehall) and Miles Sanders (Woodland Hills) enjoyed outstanding careers with the Nittany Lions and are now in the NFL, Barkley with the New York Giants and Sanders with the Philadelphia Eagles.
“We have a really good history with keeping running backs in the state of Pennsylvania and those guys playing well, like Saquon and Miles,” Franklin said. “We’re super excited about getting them.”
Singleton and Kaytron Allen, another highly regarded running back, signed letters of intent Wednesday to play at Penn State. They’re two keystones of a class that’s ranked sixth nationally by 247Sports and seventh by On3.
The 6-0, 218-pound Singleton is rated the No. 1 running back in the country by On3 and No. 4 by 247Sports. The 5-11, 220-pound Allen, who played at IMG Academy in Florida, is rated the No. 9 running back by On3 and No. 11 by 247Sports.
Singleton was named Tuesday as the Gatorade National Player of the Year after he rushed for 2,059 yards and 44 touchdowns and led Gov. Mifflin to a 10-1 record, the Berks Football League Section 1 title and the District 3 Class 5A final.
Allen stood out at IMG, which went 18-1 the last two seasons.
“It’s funny because people talk about them being ‘Thunder’ and ‘Lightning’ and that Nick is an undersized scat back,” Franklin said. “Nick’s 215 pounds and has the ability to go 80 (yards). I don’t know if there’s a better running back class in the country.”
Singleton and Allen join what now is a crowded position. Keyvone Lee, Noah Cain, Devyn Ford and Caziah Holmes are the returning scholarship backs who will be on the roster in 2022, as long as they stay and don’t transfer.
Several recruiting analysts believe Singleton will play next season.
“We recruit every guy with the mentality that they’re going to come in and play,” Franklin said. “They still have to go out and earn the job, but both of them have a really impressive background.”
Holes to fill: Franklin said the Lions have needs on the offensive line, defensive line, linebacker and possibly wide receiver they might try to fill with transfers.
“If you talk about the defensive side of the ball, (they can use) a defensive end or possibly a defensive tackle based on some things that could happen on our roster,” Franklin said. “Obviously we’re losing some big-time linebackers.”
There has been rampant speculation that middle linebacker Ellis Brooks and outside linebacker Brandon Smith will pass up their remaining eligibility to enter the NFL draft. Brooks has one year left and Smith has two.
Brooks and Smith are Penn State’s top two tacklers this season, Brooks with 100 and Smith with 81. Smith, a junior, also has nine tackles for loss, five pass break-ups and three quarterback hurries.
PSU recruit flips: Andre Roye, a three-star offensive lineman from St. Frances, Md., flipped his commitment from Penn State and signed with Maryland on Wednesday.
The 6-6, 320-pound Roye was the only loss for the Lions, who signed 23 players overall and were waiting for three-star safety Tyrece Mills of Lackawanna (Junior) College to make it 24.
“For 12 years, we’ve had very little drama for the most part on Signing Day,” Franklin said. “It’s been pretty smooth from that perspective, so I’m pleased with that.”
Driver’s son commits: Christian Driver, a four-star safety from Argyle, Texas, signed with Penn State on Wednesday.
He’s the son of former Green Bay Packers receiver Donald Driver, who was coached by Franklin in his only season in the NFL in 2005.
“It was really surreal today,” Franklin said. “We all got emotional. Mom and Dad got emotional. The fact they feel strongly enough to trust their son to go far away and come to Penn State and play for me and now being able to coach Dad and his son is really special.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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