How Penn State's Nicholas Singleton Is Thriving in NIL

On the field, Singleton is determined to avoid the 'sophomore slump.' Off it, the Lions' star is building a brand.

Vincent Carchietta/USA Today Sports

After being a kid again for a Sunday afternoon at home in early July, Nicholas Singleton returned to Penn State intent to work. The Nittany Lions' rising-star running back outran expectations last season as the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and shattered them at the Rose Bowl, which prompted his agent to field more inquiries from brands interested in working with Singleton. But now the expectations grow, particularly from himself, and are measured in the words his coach often repeats.

Ja'Juan Seider, Penn State's running backs coach, tells Singleton and fellow sophomore Kaytron Allen that they're going to be the focal points of every opposing defense this season. He pushes them to extract everything from offseason workouts. And Seider isn't afraid to motivate them by using the term "sophomore slump," to which college running backs occasionally succumb.

Singleton, Penn State's first 1,000-yard rusher since Miles Sanders in 2018, isn't afraid of the term, either. He embraces it, allowing the words to fuel each offseason workout.

"Oh yeah, it does stick with me, because I witnessed this with a lot of players when I was young," Singleton said from under a Gatorade tent at Governor Mifflin High's football field earlier this summer. "I've seen a lot of players have that good year, then that next year is their downfall. I'm trying my best not to let that happen. I'm always thinking about it. To not have that year, you have to go attack, go even harder than you did yesterday or the day before."

This is how Singleton approaches Year 2 at Penn State, which has playoff aspirations and the roster to get there. After a freshman season that led him to great opportunities on and off the field, Singleton is learning how to become a college football star who capitalizes on his NIL opportunities while maintaining his familial humility. He's also learning how to become a national brand while remaining rooted in his community. The learning curve, while long, is getting easier to navigate.

An NIL Trip Home

On an early summer weekend, Singleton returned to Governor Mifflin High, his Shillington, Pennsylvania, his alma mater, for the second annual Nick Singleton Football Camp. Nearly 100 young players spent the afternoon engaging with the engaging 19-year-old Singleton, who isn't far removed from attending camps like these himself. Following the camp, sponsored by Gatorade, Singleton presented checks for $12,500 to the Olivet Boys & Girls Club and the Mifflin Broncos Athletic Organization, which he credited for being instrumental to his development. Singleton's brother Christian is a site director at the Olivet Boys & Girls Clubs.

This is the sort of NIL deal that's important to Singleton: community-oriented and impactful. Yet he also understands the benefit of being a national brand. Singleton did a Gatorade photo shoot before the camp, something to which he's growing more accustomed. Though still not entirely in his comfort zone, Singleton has built a team, led by his parents Timmy and Nichole, taking methodical steps to position him at college football's forefront while not overshadowing the team.

Penn State running back Nicholas Singleton signs autographs at the Nick Singleton Football Camp at Governor Mifflin High School / Photo courtesy Gatorade

"We've known about Nick for a while, but everybody watching the Rose Bowl came away saying, 'This kid is really special,'" said Austin Lyman, vice president of Athletes First, the agency that represents Singleton. "What's special about this Penn State team is that there are so many good players and good people. They all support each other in a cool way. Nick never wants to put the spotlight on himself. A lot of what we’re doing [in NIL] is about how we can do things with his teammates too, so it’s not just about Nick."

Much of that is Singleton's idea. He's in his second year representing Gatorade, and was the 2021 Gatorade National Player of the Year, which prompted teammates to nickname him "Gatorade" as a freshman. Singleton also signed a multi-year NIL contract with Pennsylvania home-remodeling company West Shore Home and has deals with memorabilia brand Fanatics and apparel brand Rhoback, which announced their NIL partnership in mid-August. After the 2023 Rose Bowl, the game that turned Singleton into a national star, Lyman's phone buzzed again.

Lyman had been engaging with potential brand partners since signing Singleton as a client last summer. Upon seeing Singleton's 87-yard touchdown run against Utah in the Rose Bowl, representatives from some of those brands re-engaged. They wanted to learn more about NIL opportunities with Singleton. Additional deals are forthcoming.

"It's taken time for brands to understand the opportunities," Lyman said. "There's an educational aspect not only with [the players'] families but also with brands. ... I don't want to call it, 'I told you so,' but it was more like, 'We should have a conversation this offseason.' There were some conversations that evolved fairly quickly after that."

Lyman, who works with several Penn State players, is careful to schedule photo shoots, appearances and events primarily for the offseason, which Singleton appreciates. Sunday's camp was among his favorite NIL appearances and part of the community-based approach to which Lyman and Gatorade initially agreed. But Singleton is serious about compartmentalizing NIL from football, so he returned home for the clinic after a 7:30 a.m. Saturday workout on campus. Singleton left to be back in State College in time for Monday's training session.

We are pumped to join @NickSingletonn’s team as he becomes a pillar of Rhoback U

The reigning Big 10 Freshman of the Year, Nick now finds himself on the watchlist for the Maxwell Award, given to the best player in all of CFB. Be on the lookout for fun content with Nick 🏈 pic.twitter.com/p5iqL1Rw8I

— RHOBACK (@rhoback) August 16, 2023

A 'Freaks List' Honoree

Through these NIL responsibilities, Singleton has remained the same dedicated player in workouts, Penn State strength coach Chuck Losey said. Losey as asked this offseason which Lions might be contenders for Bruce Feldman's annual college football "Freaks List" that appears in The Athletic. "Nobody right now," Losey said in June, explaining that "freaks" demonstrate their skills through every seasonal cycle, from winter workouts to spring practice to summer training to the regular season. Later, however, Losey reminded himself whom that described.

"If we had a candidate, that would be the one right there, but for the exact reasons I said," Losey said. "[Singleton] approaches training the same way Saquon [Barkley] approached training, the same way Miles [Sanders] approached training. He’s the same dude every day."

(Six Nittany Lions ultimately made the "Freaks List," the most of any college program in the country. Singleton was among them),

As a self-described "lay-low guy," Singleton revels in that consistency. His 2022 breakthrough season carried some challenging moments as well, which he's addressing this offseason. Singleton studied how Allen, his backfield teammate, staged his runs with vision and diligence. He's working with Losey on movements to enhance his stability and change of direction as a complement to his power and speed. And he spent hours watching a bunch of West Virginia film to prepare for the Sept. 2 season-opener.

Yet with Singleton's full schedule of obligation and expectation, Seider wants him to decompress as well. The "sophomore slump" should be motivating, not debilitating, Seider said. And sometimes Singleton just needs to laugh, so Seider makes sure to make him laugh every time they're together. But Seider also sees a player who's still growing in so many ways, on the field and off it. So does Lyman. Separately and together, they're building the next-generation Nicholas Singleton. 

"You’re talking about the No. 1 player in the state a year ago, and you have to walk into this stadium and live up to that reputation early and every weekend," Seider said. "We also know there was a point in the middle of the season where people were questioning whether he was even that good. That's part of growth. He gets it now. He understands college football. He's become a smarter player, which is going to allow him to be a better player. Getting him out of his comfort zone, seeing him laugh, making him laugh, making him joke. It's like going to a talent show: You don't want to do it, but you make them do it.

"I think that's the thing with Nick. He’s starting to grow because Nick also knows that he’s popular. With the NIL world and life after college when you go to the NFL, if he wants to do what Saquon and Miles are doing, he's going to have to talk about the big picture. You can't always talk about ball. You've got to talk about life, you've got to talk about taxes now, we talk about all those things. I think for Nick, hearing this stuff early is going to be great for him going forward."

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