James Franklin addresses emerging ‘battle’ in Penn State running back room

While the staples at the top of the backfield may be the same, there are plenty of new storylines at running back for Penn State football this offseason. After longtime assistant Ja’Juan Seider left the program this winter, the room will be under new leadership for the first time in nearly a decade.

Penn State will still rely on senior stars Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen for the majority of their production on the ground in 2025. But behind the dynamic duo, several young Nittany Lions are battling for a larger role on the field this fall.

“It’s been really competitive, right? Everybody knows we’re going to play three running backs. So there’s a battle for that third running back,” James Franklin said this week.

After Cam Wallace suffered a season-ending injury against Kent State last September, true freshmen Quinton Martin and Corey Smith saw limited snaps in the third running back role. Both maintained their redshirts heading into 2025.

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A former four-star with lethal breakaway speed, Smith gained 152 yards on 22 carries in 2024. His total was boosted by a 78-yard rush against Washington, the Nittany Lions’ longest offensive play of the season.

The top prospect in Pennsylvania in 2024, Martin saw less action on the ground, picking up 32 yards on 13 rushes. However, the dynamic recruit added three catches for 18 yards and a 27-yard kick return on the year.

Singleton and Allen combined for 2,258 yards as juniors, nearly 65% of the Nittany Lions’ rushing yards last year. Even with both playmakers in the picture, Penn State football will still look to its younger running backs to impact the season in multiple ways.

“I also think, you know, last year we had two guys that were trying to redshirt if we could. Those guys now, obviously, [have] been through that, so now not only are they competing to be that third running back, but they also need to have a huge impact on special teams,” said Franklin. “They probably could have last year, but again, we were trying to save the redshirt. So now it’s competing to be the third back, but it’s also competing for a big role on special teams, which they need to. They need to have a bigger role on special teams now that they’re able to.”

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