Penn State’s offensive prowess since the days of Trace McSorely and Saquon Barkley has declined almost every season. Watching the Nittany Lions struggle against Illinois in a nonuple overtime contest was certainly painful, but brighter days are ahead for PSU football.
The Lions’ 2022 recruiting class is ranked inside the Top 5 as of this moment, ranked No. 1 at points, and the top-ranked quarterback and running back and the fifth-ranked wide receiver.
Drew Allar – No. 1 quarterback
While redshirt senior quarterback Sean Clifford has been solid at times in his Penn State career, he’s never been the type of quarterback to truly leave his mark on his own.
Five-star quarterback Drew Allar from Medina High School in Medina, Ohio, about two hours from Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio, has steadily risen to become the No. 1 quarterback in his recruiting class.
Through nine games, Allar had passed for 2,937 yards (14.7 yards per attempt) and 31 touchdowns on 200-of-306 passing attempts. He’d also ran for another 251 yards and six touchdowns on 78 rushing attempts. In a 49-7 throttling of Solon High School last weekend, Allar passed for 254 yards and four touchdowns on 17-of-26 passing attempts and rushed for 24 yards and another touchdown.
👀 on the senior seasons of the 2021 Elite 11 finalists –
The QBs' teams go 12-2; @AllarDrew passes for 254 yards and 4⃣ TDs with a 5th score rushing, helping @MedinaFootball_ complete a 10-0 regular season with a 49-7 win to lead the Week 10 Panini #Elite11 Tracker 🏈🎯 pic.twitter.com/V34Bwicmpn
— Elite11 (@Elite11) October 26, 2021
At 6-foot-5, 230 pounds, Allar is the prototypical quarterback in college football, and he appears destined to arrive in Happy Valley and take over the starting quarterback gig immediately.
Nicholas Singleton – No. 1 running back
Like Allar, four-star running back Nicholas Singleton has helped lead his high school to an unbeaten season thus far.
In five confirmed games from MaxPreps, Singleton has rushed for 1,030 yards and 20 touchdowns on just 80 carries this season — averaging 12.9 yards per rush and a touchdown every fourth carry. He’s also caught a 15-yard reception for a touchdown.
Earlier this season, Singleton broke the Berks (Pa.) County rushing record, and he’s continued to rack up records with Governor Mifflin this season.
Big Thanks @PennStateFball @coachjfranklin @coachseider @PSULawnBoyz #WeAre ! pic.twitter.com/kn0RxZnObK
— Nicholas Singleton (@nichola14110718) October 27, 2021
At 6-foot-0, 210 pounds, Singleton is ranked as the 19th recruit in the nation (the top-ranked running back and recruit from Pennsylvania), and he, like Allar, should immediately enter the program as a threat to steal the starting gig.
Kaden Saunders – No. 5 wide receiver
Four-star wide receiver Kaden Saunders has done a little bit of everything for Westerville South High School this season. Just 15 miles from Columbus, Ohio, Saunders has impressed with his versatility.
In nine games this season, Saunders has completed nine-of-14 passes for 94 yards and a touchdown, rushed for 324 yards and five touchdowns on just 28 carries and caught 28 passes for 283 yards and four more touchdowns. If Westerville is doing something, Saunders is involved.
Getting closer 😁 ADMITTED!!! #WEARE22 #LFG pic.twitter.com/xc975Loo9z
— 𝐊𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐍 𝐒𝐀𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒 ² (@KSaunders03) October 21, 2021
At 5-foot-10, 170 pounds, Saunders doesn’t boast above-average size, but he’s blessed with electric speed and above-average shiftiness. With senior wide receiver Jahan Dotson off to the NFL Draft this offseason, Saunders will have large shoes to fill, but he’s well-equipped to become the next great Nittany Lions’ wide receiver.
