All 105 is a Nittany Sorts Now Series profiling each Penn State football player. In this edition, we will be profiling freshman running back, Kaytron Allen.
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 221 pounds
Hometown: Norfolk, Virginia
Before Penn State: Allen spent his freshman year at Norview High School in Virginia where he rushed for 1,465 yards and 16 touchdowns, earning Maxpreps Freshman All-American and All-Eastern District honors. Allen then transferred to IMG Academy to play his last three years of high school under former NFL player and current head coach Pepper Johnson. He rushed for more than 1,000 yards and matched his freshman year output of 16 touchdowns his first season at IMG. In his junior year, he rushed for 515 yards and nine touchdowns. In his senior year, he rushed for 1,400 yards and 27 touchdowns as IMG was ranked the No. 1 team in the country by USA Today. Allen was selected to play in 2022 Under Armor All-American Game. Allen was rated as a four-star recruit by Rivals, On3, 247Sport and ESPN. He was ranked the No 157 overall prospect, No. 11 overall running back and No. 19 player in Florida by 247Sports. ESPN rated him No. 147 overall and 11th among running backs, as well as No. 18 in Florida. Allen committed to Penn State July 16, 2021.
2022: Allen and classmate Nick Singleton became a formidable RB duo as true freshmen. Allen ended the season with 867 yards and 10 touchdowns on 167 carries and finished with more than 1,000 yards from scrimmage. He and Singleton became the first pair of Big Ten running backs to rush for more than 700 yards in a season.
Where he stands: It’s pretty obvious where Allen stands. He’s a beast, as is Singleton, and the two should continue to terrorize Big 10 defenses in 2023.
A quote by Allen: “I really don’t try to look at anybody else’s stats and try to compare them to mine… I’m always trying to learn from him. I’m not trying to worry about Nick’s success and what he’s doing. I’m just trying to be my own person and just play the game that I love.” — Allen on his relationship with Singleton to reporters in January at the team’s media availability ahead of the Rose Bowl
A quote about Allen: “Kaytron, just looking at him, he just physically looks different. I think with that, he is quicker, he’s faster, he’s more explosive. I just think he’s playing really confident, really good football right now. I think you’ll see him gradually put weight back on but it will be the right weight.” — coach James Franklin at a weekly press conference last September on Allen’s body transformation
