James Franklin touches on the potential of Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen in 2025

Penn State‘s Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen were perhaps the best backfield duo in college football last season, and they’re both returning for the 2025 campaign. During an appearance on The Triple Option podcast, Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin discussed his dynamic 1-2 punch.

“To be honest, I was surprised when they both came back,” Franklin said. “I thought it was going to be similar to our tight ends situation, where we had Tyler Warren and Theo Johnson. Both tight ends, and one decided to leave, the other one stayed, or vice versa. I thought it was going to be similar, but I also think they have bought into our philosophy here.

“We don’t want to be in a situation where we’re sending a running back to the NFL and he’s got 400 carries on a season, and then the NFL feels like he’s beat up and not a whole lot of tread left on the tires. Our guys understand, they’re really good complimentary pieces. It’s going to be really good for their longevity and their careers and things like that.”

The two-man system certainly worked well for the pair last season. Singleton finished the season with 172 carries for 1,099 yards and 12 touchdowns. Meanwhile, Allen racked up 220 carries for 1,108 yards and eight touchdowns.

Singleton was more prolific in the receiving game, hauling in 41 catches last season compared to Allen’s 18. In total, Penn State averaged 202.3 rushing yards per game, the most in the Big Ten.

Penn State’s success in the ground game translated to tallies in the win column. Penn State posted a 13-3 overall record last season, making its first appearance in the College Football Playoff in program history.

Now, Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen are ready to run it back, and they’re not the only ones. Penn State has nine offensive starters from last season returning, including all five of the team’s offensive linemen. Franklin believes this played a large role in Singleton and Allen’s decision to come back to PSU.

“We got a chance to have one of the best offensive lines in college football this year. That that plays a big part in this as well,” Franklin said. “They know who’s coming back in front of them, and that’s going to be helpful.

“Then, we went out to the transfer portal and got a little bit of help at wide receiver. Because if people are concerned about our passing game, as you know, it’s going to help our running backs as much as anything.”