Pat McAfee claims Nicholas Singleton, Kaytron Allen ‘allegedly’ set to return to Penn State in 2025

Penn State football punched its ticket to the College Football Playoff Semifinal on the backs of a combined 216-yard rushing performance from Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen in Tuesday night’s Fiesta Bowl. And while the Nittany Lions are still in the hunt for a National Championship, one of ESPN’s top personalities is claiming that the pair of 1,000-yard rushers will be back in Happy Valley for 2025.

The claims were made on Thursday morning by Pat McAfee on his popular weekday show. Speaking with legendary Alabama coach and College Football GameDay host Nick Saban, McAfee did, however, put a disclaimer on his remarks about the future of the Nittany Lions backfield.

“Penn State is setting themselves up here for the long haul,” McAfee said. “And allegedly Singleton and Allen, who are both juniors, they’re going to be coming back too, allegedly, for them at running back. It’s like, Penn State is setting up here.”

Well according to @PatMcAfeeShow Kaytron Allen AND Nick Singleton are “allegedly” coming back to Penn State in 2025 👀 pic.twitter.com/DdjTyedDx0

— The Basic Blues Podcast (@BasicBluesPod) January 2, 2025

Neither Nicholas Singleton nor Kaytron Allen have publicly disclosed their intentions for the 2025 football season.

“I saw Drew [Allar] coming back yesterday, which is phenomenal,” Singleton said ahead of the Nittany Lions’ first-round College Football Playoff matchup with SMU. “But right now, I’m just focused on the season: SMU, SMU. And just after that, at the end of the season, I’ll figure out if I’m staying or not.”

Allen led Penn State football with 134 yards on 17 carries during Tuesday night’s Fiesta Bowl victory over Boise State. Singleton rushed for 87 yards on 12 attempts but broke the game wide open with a 58-yard touchdown run with under five minutes left to play.

Both Singleton and Allen surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the season against the Broncos, becoming the first running back tandem in Penn State football history to each rush for 1,000 yards in the same season.

If either back decided to return next fall, they would join starting quarterback Drew Allar, who announced his plans to be back for his senior season in December.

The Nittany Lions will face the winner of Thursday afternoon’s Sugar Bowl between Notre Dame and Georgia in next week’s College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Orange Bowl.

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