Penn State football Class of 2022 commit and Governor Mifflin running back Nicholas Singleton has been named the Gatorade National Player of the Year.
The award is presented annually by Gatorade to recognize “student-athletes not only for outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character.” Earlier this month, Singleton was named Gatorade’s Player of the Year in the state of Pennsylvania and a finalist for the national award.
Singleton joins an impressive list of previous winners that includes Emmitt Smith, Peyton Manning and Kyler Murray. He is the first future Nittany Lion to earn the national award.
New York Giants running back and Penn State legend Saquon Barkley surprised Singleton with the news during a Zoom call early Tuesday morning.
Barkley commended Singleton’s football accomplishments, but stressed the impact was not exclusive to the gridiron.
“It’s the way you attack the classroom. It’s the way you’re active in your community,” Barkley said to Singleton. “I know personally going to Penn State, that’s something that is also going to be instilled in you from Coach Franklin down on.”
The five-star recruit was surrounded also by his Governor Mifflin teammates and family, who he was quick to thank after the award’s presentation.
Receiving the award is a fitting conclusion to a dominant season of football for Singleton. The soon-to-be Nittany Lion rushed for 2,043 yards and scored 44 total touchdowns, with an unbelievable average of 12.4 yards per attempt.
Earlier this season, Singleton even posted a performance characterized by 330 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on only 15 carries. His record-breaking season saw him take Berks County’s career rushing yards and rushing touchdowns crown.
“Nick Singleton has every single desirable trait at the running position,” Steve Wiltfong, director of football recruiting for 247Sports, said in a press release. “His combination of size, elite speed, elusiveness and power is rare. There’s a reason he’s our top-ranked prospect at the position. He has the ability to get tough yards and also hit the home run. He’s the type of athlete who could win the 100-meter dash and the shot put in the same track meet. Nick is mature, focused, hard-working and also has all the attributes coaches covet as a student and leader. Tangibles. Intangibles. This young man has it all.”
Singleton is one of Penn State’s top-ranked recruits in the Class of 2022. He’s earned the position of 247Sports’ highest ranked running back prospect in the country.
The running back is expected to officially sign his National Letter of Intent to play for Penn State at 3 p.m. on Wednesday.
