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What is the biggest question facing the Penn State running back room entering the summer?

Greg Pickelby:Greg Pickel•05/30/22•

GregPickel

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Penn State running backs coach Ja'Juan Seider.

Penn State football had high hopes for its rushing attack in 2021. However, the group fell short of expectations. Is it ready for a rebound in 2022?

Running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider and the players in his room have every intention to make that a reality. It is a group that lost Noah Cain to the transfer portal and LSU. But, otherwise, everyone is back and two top-10 players at their position according to the On3 Consensus rankings are now in town.

What is the biggest question for this Penn State position unit entering the summer? Blue-White Illustrated is looking at one for each. After starting with the quarterbacks, we’re moving on to the running backs.

What is the biggest question facing the Penn State running back room entering the summer?

Penn State has five scholarship running backs on its current roster. The big question is this: Who will start?

The leader in the clubhouse coming out of spring practice is returning first-teamer Keyvone Lee. A former four-star recruit, he carried 108 times over 13 games last fall for 530 yards and two touchdowns. His best game came in an October win over Indiana. On that day, Lee rushed eight times for 74 yards, which nets out to 9.3 yards per carry. He left the Blue-White game as the top option, but will that be the case come the fall?

Devyn Ford and Caziah Holmes are the other two returners. Ford has had an up and down career to date. He’s had some strong moments but only has a total of 629 rushing yards and six touchdowns over three seasons. Holmes, then, redshirted last year and hopes to find a larger share of the reps this fall.

Then, there are the newcomers. Nick Singleton was a five-star and the Gatorade national football player of the year before signing with Penn State in the Class of 2022. He flashed often during spring practice and drew the praise of coaches and teammates alike. So, too, did Kaytron Allen, a former four-star recruit who also enrolled in January.

“I mean, they add a lot of competition,” Lee told reporters during the spring. “They came in hungry, ready to work. They’ve been betting me, they’ve been bettering Devyn and [Caziah Holmes.]”

So, who will be the starter be? Our money is still on Lee. But, expect at least one of the freshman to find a big role by September, while Ford and Holmes will see spot work, as well.

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