Nick Singleton: Almost Irish
The elite Nittany Lion rusher wasn't always planning to play for PSU.
If Nick Singleton hadn’t received wise words from his father, Tim Singleton, during his official visit to Notre Dame, he just may be rushing for touchdowns in South Bend, Indiana rather than State College, Pennsylvania.
When Singleton visited Notre Dame officially in June 2021, he was ready to commit to the program and at-the-time head coach Brian Kelly. He made a call to his dad, who was with our recruits’ parents, and preached patience to Nick. The family still had official visits to Texas A&M and Alabama to make, and it was important to see those through.
18 days after that official visit to South Bend, Nick Singleton committed to Penn State in his backyard. The decision came down to the Fighting Irish and Nittany Lions, and it wasn’t easy.
Singleton got to know players at Notre Dame. He spent time at Brian Kelly’s house on the lake. He was told he could be the next running back to take the Fighting Irish to the national championship.
Now, he wants to do anything but put Notre Dame in the national championship.
Currently, Singleton is fourth in rushing yards out of running backs still competing for a national championship. But, he’s one of the best rushers in the country who is sharing handoffs with another powerful back on the team. Singleton shares handoffs with Kaytron Allen, who has 54 more handoffs and 11 more yards than him.
In the college football playoff quarterfinal against Boise State, a game that Penn State underutilized the rush attack, Singleton got 12 handoffs for 87 yards and a score, leading Penn State into the CFP semifinal against the school he nearly chose.
In retrospect, it would’ve been a big loss if Singleton had passed on Penn State. He was the Gatorade National Player of the Year and was clearly going to be an impact player wherever he decided to go.
James Franklin has instituted a slogan that Penn State now lives and dies by in recruiting: The Best in PA, Stay in PA.
At the time, Penn State just missed on Southern Columbia wide receiver Julian Fleming and Warwick offensive tackle Nolan Rucci. They both ended up transfering to PSU from the Big Ten programs they originally chose, Ohio State and Wisconsin.
Plus, the idea of having Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton in the same backfield evoked, and continues to evoke fond memories of having Miles Sanders and Saquon Barkley together.
Both Sanders and Barkley were part of the “Best in PA, Stay in PA” deal, as Barkley came from Whitehall High School outside of Allentown and Sanders from Pittsburgh’s Woodland Hills. The two both stamped a great impact on Happy Valley before NFL careers.
The same will happen for Singleton and Allen. However the next two games go, their impact is well-documented and they will both play on Sundays.
Luckily, Penn State doesn’t have to worry about what Singleton looks like in Notre Dame blue and gold.
But, we’ll see him and the Nittany Lions against them on Thursday, with a trip to the national title game on the line.