James Franklin recalls Nick Singleton's family cooked oxtail during in-home visit

For the past three seasons, Penn State and head coach James Franklin have been able to rely on a pair of excellent running backs in Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen. Within the process of recruiting those players to Happy Valley, a meal of oxtail at Singleton’s home still stands out to him.

Franklin recalled the story ahead of the Orange Bowl that could double as Singleton’s final game with Penn State. It was, as he remembers it, one of the best meals he’s had.

“Got an awesome mom and dad,” James Franklin said. “One of the best home visit meals we’ve had. Mom made oxtail. I don’t know if you guys know Coach [Phil] Trautwein has lost over a hundred pounds since his playing days, and he never eats anything. He packs his own food. Everything is organic, like even water. Like he won’t drink certain water, like what are we talking about? Traut killed the oxtail. He was crushing it, going back for second and thirds, which I’ve never seen Traut like that. Got a great relationship with mom and dad, and brother, to be honest with you, as well.” 

At the time, Nick Singleton was one of the top recruits in the country. A five-star recruit in the Class of 2022, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, he was the top-ranked running back and the 27th-ranked player nationally. On top of that, he was the top-ranked player in Pennsylvania, making him even more important for Franklin and Penn State to land.

“I think he’s just another example of a local kid that has thrived here. He’s crushing it academically. You know, been great in the community,” Franklin said. “I think you guys have got to spend a lot of time around him. He’s a man of few words. But he’s a substance guy. To me, that’s what Penn State is about. We may not be the flashiest. It’s funny, I even look at Notre Dame and there’s a lot of parallels between Notre Dame and Penn State and kind of same uniforms and now Notre Dame has even got a ton of different uniforms and things like that. To me, he’s a Penn State guy in terms of just substance, right, and has maximized his career.”

Since getting to Penn State, Singleton immediately made his impact felt. In three seasons and 40 games, he has rushed for 2,828 yards on 5.8 yards per carry and 29 touchdowns. He also has 76 receptions for 735 yards and another eight touchdowns. He’s done all of that while sharing touches with Kaytron Allen.

“I think he’s trying to decide what he’s going to do, him and his family,” Franklin said. “Been a ton of conversations there. He’s been awesome. I think him and Kaytron have developed a really good relationship but sometimes that’s not always the case. It could be adversarial. They have been really good friends both on and off the field. I think they are complementary pieces to each other. He’s doing great. He’s thriving.” 

Now, as James Franklin was open in acknowledging, Nick Singleton will need to make a decision about his future. In particular, after this season ends will he return to Penn State for his senior campaign or will he enter the NFL?

“Obviously, we’d love him back but if he decides to come out, we’ll fight like heck to get him drafted as high as possible. I know it’s important for him to go play well in this game this week and to keep this season going and keep this team together. We’ve got 65 plays left on defense and defense and 24 on special teams and that’s how we are approaching it,” Franklin said. “And Nick has been a leader. So, big fan. Big fan of Nick and his mom and dad and Governor Mifflin High School, and how he’s handled his whole Penn State career. If it was just about Penn State and being greedy, I’d love him back. But I ultimately want him to do what’s best for him. More times than not, it’s going to be what’s best for everybody.”

The Orange Bowl between Penn State and Notre Dame is set for 7:30 p.m. EST on Thursday, January 9th. Win and Penn State will have the chance to play for a national championship.