Nick Singleton talks Penn State quarterback competition, managing high expectations in 2023

Penn State has quite an opportunity this year in the Big Ten. Even despite some notable departures on both sides of the ball, the Nittany Lions have plenty of star power — led by reigning conference Freshman of the Year Nick Singleton — to make some noise in the final year of the Big Ten East.

The players know how good fans think they can be, too. However, they can’t get too caught up in the hype.

“The offseason’s been really good,” Singleton told On3 via Zoom after his youth football camp. “We had a great spring with all the players. They’re buying into it. They kind of know, this is the type of year everybody has big expectations for us.

“We just keep our heads down, don’t listen to all the outside noise. Really, just keep working and getting ready for West Virginia.”

One of the defining factors in Penn State’s 2023 season is at quarterback. The Nittany Lions are in the midst of a quarterback competition between Drew Allar, Beau Pribula and Jaxon Smolik. Allar got some good looks last year in relief of Sean Clifford — who’s now off to the NFL — but isn’t necessarily a shoo-in to be QB1 this year, as is James Franklin’s philosophy.

Singleton has had a front-row seat to the battle, and he said he likes what he’s seen from the trio through spring and into summer.

“It’s been really good,” Singleton said. “Drew, Beau, Jaxon, they’ve been really good this spring and leading up to camp. They’ve been really good in the summer working out, doing extra work. I’m excited for them.”

Nick Singleton: Sean Clifford helped lay the groundwork for next Penn State quarterback

Clifford spent five years in Happy Valley, including the last four as the Penn State starter. His efforts paid off as he became a fifth-round pick of the Green Bay Packers in the 2023 NFL Draft — a moment, Singleton said, was special for the program considering all Clifford accomplished in a Nittany Lions uniform.

“It meant a lot,” Singleton said of hearing Clifford’s name called. “There’s a lot of haters about Sean and stuff. … But I’m very proud of Sean. He was a big help with why I, this last year, had success. I can’t wait to see him in the NFL.”

But now, there’s a need for leadership in the locker room — and the youth movement, led by Singleton and Allar, will play a critical role. They’re both gearing up for their sophomore years and stepping into leadership roles.

Singleton acknowledged he’s more of a leader by example, although helping run the youth football camp will help him be more vocal. But Allar is also following Clifford’s footsteps as a leader in the locker room.

“He’s doing good, especially how Sean did,” Singleton said of Allar. “Sean did a good job with the quarterbacks last year, being more of a leader, teaching Drew and Beau what to do and stuff. They know what they’re supposed do this season because of Sean showing them what he did. I can’t wait for it.”

Penn State needs to have a ‘1-0 mentality’ in 2023

Nick Singleton is also trying to follow up an impressive freshman campaign. He finished fifth in the Big Ten with 1,061 rushing yards and set a Penn State freshman record with 12 touchdowns to win Big Ten Freshman of the Year. That means he could be gearing up to take a leap in 2023 — but he knows he can’t get too far ahead of himself.

“It’s been really good,” Singleton said of his second offseason at Penn State. “Now, I know what to expect because I’ve been here, in my second year. Same system, a lot of players came back that played last year that had a big impact last year. It’s going to be good.

“I feel like it’s going to be a great season. We’ve just got to have that 1-0 mentality.”

The “1-0 mentality” comes from Franklin, who tells his players to take things one game at a time. Although big games matter — it’s the nature of college football — the key to success is locking in on the task at hand.

“Coach Franklin, he always tells us, ‘Be 1-0 every week,'” Singleton said. “We believe in that. Because you can worry about what game’s coming up, the big game. But you’ve got to worry about what this week is going to be like.

“We’ve got West Virginia the first week. We can’t look ahead to what the other games will be like.”