Penn State Showcasing Its Past, and Future, at Running Back

The Lions' freshmen are thriving. So are Saquon Barkley and Miles Sanders in the NFL. Coach Ja'Juan Seider loves it.

Miles Sanders returned to Penn State for the White Out game, and Saquon Barkley occasionally checks in with the Lions' talented freshman running backs. Sanders and Barkley have been exceptional "big brothers" to Penn State's pair of freshman backs, position coach Ja'Juan Seider said, paying their success forward while providing quite the recruiting boost.

"Any time you can get two big-name guys like that in the spotlight in the NFL, and then you get two freshmen having success here early at Penn State, it puts a spotlight on the running back room," Seider said. "Which always had it."

Penn State is basking in that spotlight, claiming two of the top backs in the NFL and two of the better freshmen backs in college football this season. Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen have transformed Penn State's run game, flipping it from benign in 2021 to threat in 2022 and making it the defensive focus for opponents.

Singleton and Allen have improved Penn State's per-carry rushing average by 50 percent (from 3.2 to 4.8) and already have doubled the number of rushing touchdowns from the backs. The Lions have have scored 16 rushing touchdowns this season, including 12 by Singleton and Allen. Penn State scored 11 rushing touchdowns in 2021, with just six by running backs.

Meanwhile in the NFL, Barkley of the New York Giants is having a renaissance season, ranking second in rushing, while Sanders is seventh and thriving for the unbeaten Philadelphia Eagles. In fact, as Seider said, Sanders is getting the notice he's long overdue.

"Miles is now starting to get the respect he's due," Seider said. "He probably didn't get the respect once he left Penn State as Saquon did, because it was only basically one year [that Sanders started at Penn State]. But he had a great year, and now to see him healthy and able to play behind a good offensive line, he's got help. And watching those receivers and quarterback run around, it's like playing a college game. But you get Miles in space, and we all know he can make people miss."

Philadelphia Eagles running back Miles Sanders, a second-round draft from Penn State, ranks seventh in the NFL in rushing yards this season :: Eric Hartline/USA Today Sports

Seider certainly has used their successes to pitch Penn State as a recruiting destination for running backs. Barkley was the No. 1 back (and No. 2 overall player) drafted in 2018, and Sanders was the No. 2 back of the 2019 draft.

Further, Seider firmly believes that Journey Brown was headed in the same direction before retiring from football in 2020 for medical reasons.

"Three out of four years, we may have had the top running back or a top-two running back in the taken in the draft," Seider said. "I think Journey was on that track."

As for Singleton and Allen, Seider said he views them as co-starters who have avoided the freshman wall thus far. Both backs have 100-yard games, while Allen has rushed for 151 yards over the past two.

"I actually think they're improving," Seider said. "It's really what you want to see."

Penn State 'Shocked' at Devyn Ford's Departure

The Lions have lost three scholarship running backs since last winter, which Seider called the nature of today's college football. However, Seider added that Penn State was "shocked" when Devyn Ford left the program during the season.

Ford departed Penn State in September after playing in the team's first four games. He likely will transfer to another program with two seasons of eligibility remaining (including the COVID season). A junior, Ford has a redshirt year available, which he would have lost after playing in a fifth game.

"This is the nature of the college football we're in," Seider said. "We created this monster, so we're going to see more of it. I wish Devyn well. I love him like my own son. We all were shocked when it happened, but it is what it is, and I hope [Ford] has success.

"He's going to have a Penn State degree, and I appreciate him giving us four great years and being the ultimate teammate. He was awesome for these young kids. His approach in the meeting room was as good as I've ever been around."

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.