Penn State's Nicholas Singleton, Nick Dawkins Added to Preseason Watch Lists

Singleton ranks among college football's most versatile players. Dawkins is recognized for his community service.

Penn State running back Nicholas Singleton runs with the ball against the Michigan State Spartans. / David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports

Penn State's Nicholas Singleton and Nick Dawkins added their names to college football preseason watch lists Thursday, as the prelude to 2024 continued. Singleton, the Penn State running back already nominated for the Maxwell Award, is on the watch list for the Paul Hornung Award as the nation's most versatile player. And Dawkins, the Nittany Lions' projected starting center, is nominated for the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy, which celebrates community service in college football.

Singleton, among Penn State's most promising players this season, looks to join Saquon Barkley as a winner of the Hornung Award. Singleton is coming off a season in which he was named third-team all-Big Ten, rushed for 752 years and eight touchdowns and also caught two touchdown passes. As Penn State's primary kick returner, Singleton averaged 24.1 yards per attempt with a season-long of 51 yards.

Singleton has made versatility a hallmark of his 2024 approach. He spent the offseason working with quarterback Drew Allar and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki to assume a larger role in the Nittany Lions' passing game. Penn State running backs coach Ja'Juan Seider suggested that Singleton and fellow back Kaytron Allen could make a bigger imprint in Kotelnicki's passing game.

"There’s not a [middle] linebacker in the country that can really cover these guys," Seider said. "So it's just being able to take advantage to get these guys touches in different places of the game."

Singleton, entering his third season with the Nittany Lions, has rushed for 1,813 yards and 20 career touchdowns. He ranks 20th in both categories at Penn State. He also has five career games of 100+ yards.

Dawkins, a fifth-year senior, has played plenty of snaps for Penn State but is competing to start for the first time in his career. He has played in 26 career games on offense and special teams and is the top candidate to replace Hunter Nourzad at center.

Dawkins also is among the team's most respected vocal leaders on and off the field. He won Penn State's Public Service Award in 2023 and the program's Letterman's Club Scholarship, awarded annually to a graduate student. Dawkins was president of Penn State's chapter of Lift For Life and participates in community service projects including PALS and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

"You need to give back," Dawkins said during the team's visit to Penn State Health Children's Hospital in May. "People lose sight that this whole football thing is bigger than you. Put a smile on someone’s face? That's huge. ... That goes to the humility and being humble and all the things that we are in our program and our tradition."

Six Nittany Lions so far have made preseason watch lists:

• Drew Allar: Maxwell Award

• Nicholas Singleton: Maxwell Award, Paul Hornung Award

• Abdul Carter: Bronko Nagurski Trophy (top defensive player)

• Nick Dawkins: Wuerffel Trophy

• Tyler Duzansky: Mannelly Award (long snapper)

• Sal Wormley: Outland Trophy (interior lineman)

Penn State opens the 2024 season Aug. 31 at West Virginia. Kickoff is scheduled for noon ET on FOX.

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Penn State on SI 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 X (or Twitter) @MarkWogenrich.