Former Minnesota RB and Williamsport, Pennsylvania, native Trey Potts announced his commitment to Penn State Monday night. Here’s what Penn State’s RB depth chart could look like with Potts in the fold this fall.
RB1: NICK SINGLETON
He’s the man. The Shillington, Pennsylvania, native was a five-star coming out of Governor Mifflin High School and played like a five-star in Year 1, breaking 1,000 yards on 6.8 yards per carry and rushing for a Penn State freshman record 12 touchdowns. Singleton deservedly won Big Ten Freshman of the Year for his efforts.
For a lot of the season, Kaytron Allen (more on him in a bit) was right on Singleton’s level and even outperformed his classmate at times. But the Rose Bowl reminded everybody who the man is in Penn State’s backfield.
If he’s healthy, there’s no reason to expect Singleton not to continue to be the man in Year 2.
RB2: KAYTRON ALLEN
Allen is 1B to Singleton’s 1A. As mentioned above, there were times when he, not Singleton, was Penn State’s No. 1 back, and it shouldn’t surprise anybody if there are games this season where Allen outgains Singleton. Allen, who rushed for 867 yards and 10 touchdowns last season– the second most TDs ever by a Penn State freshmen runner, behind only Singleton– is Penn State’s 1A back at worst. Allen averaged 5.2 yards per carry in 2022, which would be excellent for a starter, let alone an RB2. If Singleton and Allen are both healthy, they could be the best duo in the Big Ten, if not the country. How does that sound, Penn State fans?
RB3: TREY POTTS
Potts, a Williamsport native, played four seasons for the Gophers, ending his time in Minneapolis with 1,198 yards and 11 touchdowns.
He spent most of his time as a reserve.
Mohammed Ibrahim, who finished third in the nation in rushing this past season, got most of the carries and headlines for the Gophers. Potts’s best season at Minnesota came in 2021. He rushed for 552 yards and six touchdowns, averaging almost five yards per carry. Based on Potts’s numbers, the addition might not seem like a huge deal. But he’ll fill a need for Penn State. Had Penn State not added in the transfer portal, it would have gone into the season with two true freshmen—London Montgomery and Cam Wallace— as its best options at third-string running back. Last season, walk-on Tank Smith was in that role for almost half the year due to Keyvone Lee being injury. Now, Lee is in the transfer portal.
Potts gives Penn State a solid option should anything happen to Singleton or Allen.
RB4/5 (NO ORDER): LONDON MONTGOMERY AND CAM WALLACE
Penn State’s two running back signees from the ’23 class aren’t on campus yet, and it’s unclear how they’ll factor in once they arrive in the summer. Montgomery, a four-star, tore his ACL last August, so that’s always a concern. Wallace, a three-star, is most likely to be used on special teams. Both guys have promising futures, but asking one to be a third-string back immediately would have been a lot. Potts would take that pressure off.
