Captain Penn State? Nick Singleton aspires for leadership role

Nick Singleton didn’t need time to formulate a response. Speaking with reporters this spring about Penn State football’s leaders on the offensive side of the ball, the sophomore running back was asked directly whether he’d like to fill the role as a team captain.

Just one season into his career as a Nittany Lion, Singleton knew the answer. 

“I feel, yeah, I want to be a captain,” he said. “I know I gotta talk a little bit more. I’m getting better with that. I know I lead by example all the time. But I want to be that, yeah.”

Sizing up Penn State’s captain situation

Coming out of the Blue-White Game on April 15, Penn State head coach James Franklin filled in at least some of the picture for how the program’s captains will look next season. 

Three captains were named, one for each discipline of offense, defense, and special teams. Keaton Ellis, a bonus-year senior safety, was tapped for the defense. Olu Fashanu, a fourth-year lineman buzzing hard as a likely first-round NFL Draft selection next spring, emerged on offense. And, walk-on-turned-scholarship linebacker Dom DeLuca, a rising redshirt sophomore, was named for special teams.

Through his nine seasons at Penn State, Franklin has taken a variety of approaches to naming captains. The Nittany Lions had eight captains named for the 2017 season. The next year, they had just three.

But, coming out of a 2022 campaign in which each of the game’s phases had two captains, Franklin set the table for a potential repeat. 

“We will wait until we get through training camp and then possibly add three more on offense, defense, and special teams,” Franklin said. “It gives us a really good understanding of who the team sees as leaders right now going into the summer, and lean on them, and still leave it open to add another offense, defense, and special teams.”

Nick Singleton resume

Should Franklin follow through in filling the vacancy on offense, Singleton has taken purposeful steps this offseason to help. 

As a true freshman, he dazzled on the field. That took shape as 1,061 yards gained on 156 carries (6.8 ypc) with 12 touchdowns. He also had a receiving score as well as a kickoff return for a touchdown. The effort landed Singleton as the Big Ten’s Freshman of the Year.

Along the way, he developed a reputation among coaches and teammates for a strong work ethic. Concurrent to that strength, though, he was repeatedly described as being particularly quiet, humble, and focused on his business.

Asked why he would be well-suited to take on the role of a team captain, the dividends of that example were top of mind for Singleton.

“They respond to me. I feel like I have their respect. I have everybody’s respect,” he said. “The stuff I did last year. I’m talking a little bit more. I’m trying to be more of a leader. But like I said, leading by example.”

Next steps

After a 2022 season in which Penn State relied heavily on six strong leaders, including two four-time captains Franklin said the program’s dynamic is going to be different this season. At one point leadership was an acknowledged concern through the winter months. But the number of leaders, though less experienced or developed in the category, could create a broader spectrum for the coming campaign. 

As described by running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider, what might have been an atypical circumstance – a true sophomore being called upon to lead the team (a role last held by a second-year player at Penn State by Christian Hackenberg in 2014) – is going to become common in today’s college football. And, in Singleton, the Nittany Lions have an accomplished player vying for the opportunity to help.

“I think that world of being an older guy being a leader is gone. When you’re a sophomore, you’re already a leader,” Seider said. “Everybody on the team understands who those two guys are and how they approach things. They’re not gonna say a lot, but when they say something, it got to be meaningful. And I think our players understand that ‘Hey if Nick and Kaytron say something, we better buckle up, and let’s get ready to go.’ 

“Everybody always says, ‘What is leadership?’ Leadership is not always the loudest guy. It’s the guy that shows up every day and is consistent and makes people around him better. And that’s what those two guys do.”