Penn State’s Nicholas Singleton Focuses on Enhancing His Creativity This Spring
New running backs coach Stan Drayton has implemented drills designed to boost explosiveness in both Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen.
When Nick Singleton broke off a 58-yard touchdown run in the Fiesta Bowl, he executed the plan that had been in place all season. With his speed and burst, he outran defenders, but to fully capitalize on those skills, he needed to refine his vision, anticipation, and creativity to turn routine plays into big scores.
This spring, Singleton is honing those exact aspects of his game. Alongside fellow back Kaytron Allen, Singleton is working on improving his skills through new drills introduced by Drayton. The two are enhancing their play in what is shaping up to be one of the nation’s top backfields.
“Stan’s drills have been really intentional, and those guys are doing really well right now,” said head coach James Franklin after practice Tuesday in State College.
Penn State is in a strong position with Singleton and Allen, both 1,000-yard rushers who decided to return for their fourth season. They made this choice before Ja’Juan Seider, their longtime running backs coach, left for Notre Dame. Drayton, the former Temple head coach, was brought in to take over, offering a fresh approach for the veteran backs.
“Before he became Temple’s head coach, Drayton was considered the top running backs coach in college football, and his resume backs that up,” Franklin said. “He’s done a great job connecting with the room, and it’s a challenge when guys have had the same coach for so long. But Singleton and Allen seem to be embracing the change, and Stan’s enjoying it too.”
For Singleton, the focus this spring is on improving his creativity and explosiveness. Known for his ability to break off long runs, including five runs of 40+ yards last season, Singleton’s playmaking ability was hampered by a mid-season injury, which affected his explosiveness until the postseason. But when healthy, he averaged 7.4 yards per carry and scored five touchdowns. Franklin wants to see more from Singleton, emphasizing adding moves like cutbacks and hurdles to his game to become a constant threat in the open field.
“With Nick, it’s all about making those open-field runs more creative,” Franklin said. “He’s strong, fast, and explosive, but we want him to have more 80-yard, 90-yard runs, which we believe he can do.”
Meanwhile, Allen is working to become more explosive, though power running is still his primary strength. Known for running through tackles and gaining tough yards, Allen is expanding his skill set under Drayton’s coaching. After dealing with injuries in previous offseasons, Allen is looking faster and more explosive now that he’s healthy.
“[Allen] has really improved,” Franklin said. “He’s never really had a full offseason until now. He looks faster and more explosive. Stan has done a phenomenal job with both of them.”
Singleton and Allen are widely regarded as the top backfield in the country, with ESPN ranking them as the second- and third-best returning running backs in college football. As Franklin noted, the two have key goals for this spring.
“Both are working hard to be more explosive in the running game and also expanding their roles in the passing game,” Franklin said.
Penn State’s Blue-White spring game is set for April 26 at Beaver Stadium, with a 2 p.m. ET kickoff. The game will not be televised, so fans must attend to watch.
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