Penn State football is about a month away from opening preseason camp for the 2022 season, and the Nittany Lions will be looking to return to the Big Ten’s upper tier after a combined 11-11 record over the past two years.
Despite the records there was still reason for optimism, but a difficult schedule and a young team in some areas could mean Penn State is still a year or two away. Then again, nobody saw 2016 coming either.
Today we continue our summertime look at each position with a running back corps that has plenty of talent.
The Ones to Miss:
John Lovett never quite found his stride — or his hands — out of the transfer portal and Noah Cain saw himself in a bigger role and closer to home as he entered the transfer portal this offseason but other than that, this group is one that managed to stay more or less intact heading into 2022. Cain certainly seemed to have all the makings of a talented back, but injuries and depth in the room around him kept him from ever really finding his stride. This group in general has a lot to prove in 2022 — so to does the offensive line in front of them — and losing Lovett and Cain won’t help or hurt that cause.
The Ones to Watch:
Until further notice this group ought to be Keyvone Lee’s to lead and the ball ought to be his to carry. Lee has the right mixture of downhill running and sneaky skills to give Penn State a consistent threat on the ground if the offensive line can figure things out in the trenches. Aside from Lee there isn’t a shortage of talent and the likes of Caziah Holmes and Devyn Ford are viable 1-2-3 punches for the Nittany Lions to consider. A running back room is often only as good as the line in front of it, but this season will be a head scratcher if so many seemingly talented running backs can’t get it going on the ground. Penn State may never be a run-first team under offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be a 3-5 yards per carry team when the time comes.
The New Ones:
Aside from five-star quarterback prospect Drew Allar, five-star back Nick Singleton is the most hyped player in Penn State’s 2022 freshman class. It’s entirely possible that Singleton takes this offense by storm if he’s as good as advertised, but until then Lee should still get the ground game keys until proven otherwise. Of course if Singleton is good good, then that could be sooner rather than later. Not to be overlooked either is four-star freshman Kaytron Allen, who brings size and burst. He might not have garnered the same level of attention as Allar and Singleton, but Allen is another elite prospect in the Nittany Lions’ 2022 recruiting class.
The Bottom Line:
On paper this group seems like it should have the talent to finally crack the code. Then again how many times have people said that over the last few years? In a Mike Yurcich offense, it shouldn’t be how many yards this group gets per game but the ability to run when they have to. In turn, per carry averages matter a lot more than end of the game totals. At least that’s the theory. In fairness to this bunch, they’ll need the offensive line to improve as well.
Previously:
