WATCH: Nick Singleton drawing comparisons to Saquon Barkley with performance in Penn State weight room

When Penn State football running back Nick Singleton burst onto the scene last fall, it was inevitable that he would draw comparisons to his predecessor, Saquon Barkley. Although they have differing running styles, both Singleton and Barkley catapulted themselves to the top of the Nittany Lion backfield en route to historic freshmen seasons. Seeing how Barkley’s career took off in years two and three, there’s much excitement among the Penn State faithful as to what Singleton can accomplish this season. And if fans were looking for another way to compare Singleton to Barkley, they got it yesterday as the sophomore running back is rapidly approaching a strength and conditioning record set by the Penn State legend. 

Nick Singleton is already approaching a Penn State football lifting record set by Saquon Barkley

Even while sharing a backfield with Kaytron Allen, Nick Singleton still had one of the most productive seasons for a freshman running back in Penn State Football history in 2022. With 1,061 yards, Singleton joined Barkley and D.J. Dozier as the only other Nittany Lion running backs to rush for at least 1,000 yards in their freshman seasons. He also set a Penn State freshman record with 12 rushing touchdowns. Together, Singleton and Allen became the only true freshman teammates in Big Ten history to each rush for at least 700 yards in a single year. 

Now this offseason, the focus for Nick Singleton has been building on the gains of 2022 – both physically and mentally. “We’re trying to get better each and every day,” Singleton told reporters after the Blue-White Game in April. “Coach Seider has been helping us — this whole summer, we’re trying to get bigger, faster, and stronger. Just trying to have that ‘1-0 mentality.'”

With the season less than 50 days away, it appears as if the offseason work is paying off for Singleton. Penn State football strength coach Chuck Losey posted a video to Twitter Saturday night which showed Singleton power cleaning 385 pounds. That is just 20 pounds off the program record – 405 pounds – set by Saquon Barkley as a junior in June of 2017. 

@NickSingletonn vs 385 Clean pic.twitter.com/e5Igq2cPsP

— Chuck Losey (@CoachCLosey) July 15, 2023

Barkley’s lift of 405 pounds broke the previous program record of 390 pounds he set as a sophomore a year prior. So for comparison, Singleton is neck-and-neck with Barkley at similar points in their Penn State careers. And that, along with what Singleton accomplished on the field last year, should be enough to strike fear into the hearts of Big Ten defensive coordinators everywhere. 

He is not HUMAN!! @saquonb21 @BleacherReport @ESPNCFB #405 pic.twitter.com/Pj63c7vxAM

— SCOOBY ALLEN (@theALLENshow) June 29, 2017

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation. Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and insights on your favorite Penn State athletics. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email us at [email protected] or direct message us on our social media. It’s due to your support that we can become one of the market’s fastest-growing Penn State sports outlets!