Penn State award watch list tracker: Multiple Lions are preseason candidates for the Doak Walker award

Penn State running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen are part of the preseason candidates list for the 2025 Doak Walker Award. It goes annually to the sport’s best running back. Both seniors, who spurned a chance to leave for the NFL to instead return for a final season in State College, are within 1,100 yards of breaking the school’s career rushing yards record and will be the featured pieces of Andy Kotelnicki’s offense this fall.

“When I came here, I said I wanted to win a national championship,” Allen told Penn State alum Michael Robinson in an interview with NBC Sports. “That’s what I want to do, and I feel like this is the year to do it.”

Added Singleton:

“We’re trying to compete in everything we do. It makes me better, it makes him better. It makes each other better,” Singleton told NBC. “We love each other and love competing and making each other better.”

First-year Penn State running backs coach Stan Drayton issued a direct challenge to both of his new high-profile pupils upon arriving that has carried over into preseason camp. It was to build on the parts of their games that aren’t as strong as some other parts.

“I know they’ve had a lot of production around here, but they still have a lot of weaknesses and things that we need to work on,” Drayton said. “I can honestly say they’ve been very intentional about their approach to practice and getting those things better. So I have nothing but great things to say about both of their guys and how they’re approaching things.”

Penn State award watch list tracker: Aug. 5

Here’s the rundown:

Here’s the list as of July 29:

Drew Allar – Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Player of the Year Award

Kaytron Allen – Maxwell Award, Doak Walker Award

Cooper Cousins – Wuerffel Trophy

Zane Durant – Outland Trophy, Bronco Nagurski Trophy

Tyler Duzansky – Mannelly Award

A.J. Harris – Lott IMPACT Trophy, Bronco Nagurski Trophy

Vega Ioane – Outland Trophy

Trebor Pena – Paul Hornung Award

Nicholas Singleton – Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, Doak Walker Award

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