Penn State running back Nick Singleton and two of his teammates said Tuesday they have not decided whether to return to the Nittany Lions next season or declare for the NFL draft.
Singleton, the former Gov. Mifflin star, has been projected to be taken anywhere from the second to the fourth rounds in next year’s draft.
“Right now, I’m just focused on this season,” he said. “Focused on SMU.”
Sixth-seeded Penn State (11-2) will meet the 11th-seeded Mustangs (11-2) in the first round of the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff Saturday at noon (TV-TNT) at Beaver Stadium.
Singleton leads the Lions with 838 rushing yards (6.4 average) and seven touchdowns and is third in receiving with 37 catches for 335 yards and five touchdowns.
Earlier this week, quarterback Drew Allar said he will return to Penn State for his senior year in 2025, a decision that could affect whether Singleton, defensive tackle Zane Durant and linebacker Kobe King stay.
Singleton called Allar’s decision “phenomenal” and that it builds momentum for next season.
“He’s a captain on this team,” Singleton said. “He always sets the tone in the games and practice.”
Durant, who enrolled at Penn State with Allar and Singleton in January 2022, and King, a redshirt junior, also said they will not decide on the Lions or the NFL until after the season.
Durant has played very well the second half of the season and has nine tackles for loss, three sacks and two quarterback hurries. King is second on the team with 72 tackles, including 8.5 tackles for loss and three sacks.
“I think that (Allar’s decision) just makes everyone more bought in now,” Durant said. “Having our quarterback, knowing on the backburner of our brains he’s coming back, that gives us a little relief.”
Durant and King have been projected as third-day picks, meaning somewhere in rounds four through seven. King’s brother, Kalen, played cornerback for Penn State from 2021-23 and began last season as a projected first-round pick. He wound up being taken by Green Bay in the seventh round.
“He’s had a tremendous season,” defensive coordinator Tom Allen said about Kobe King. “He’s a great tackler and better in space than people give him credit for.
“His play and his production have matched up with his preparation, which is impressive. He’s a great linebacker.”
No one asked defensive end Abdul Carter whether he plans to declare for the NFL draft because he’s projected to be taken at or near the top of the first round. The assumption is that he will turn pro.
Carter said Tuesday that he believes he’s the best college football player in the country. He leads Penn State with 10 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss.
He was a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, which goes to the nation’s top defensive player. When it went to South Carolina defensive end Kyle Kennard, Carter had an unusual reaction.
He did pushups until he couldn’t.
“I went to failure, until my arms gave out,” he said. “I like using things as motivation.”
Carter, Allar, Singleton and Durant were part of Penn State’s highly touted 2022 recruiting class, which was ranked as high as seventh. Those four most likely will play their final home game together on Saturday.
“We’re taking it like the last rodeo, every game,” Durant said. “We’re leaving everything we got out there, going tired, hurt, pain, through everything because we don’t know what’s gonna happen next.”
