Singleton believes he will thrive in new-look offense
Ex-Gov. Mifflin star says he’s hyped about coordinator Kotelnicki’s system
Nick Singleton talked four weeks ago about his excitement for the start of Penn State’s spring football practice.
He couldn’t wait to get back on the field with his teammates and to see what new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki had in store for him.
Now the former Gov. Mifflin star knows.
“It’s a really different offense,” Singleton said Thursday. “I’m not going to compare it, but I’m excited. You could tell everybody’s excited. Coach K is a really good coach. The offense is really good, and it’s been working.”
Kotelnicki spent the last three seasons at Kansas, where the Jayhawks finished eighth in the nation in rushing last year, 17th in scoring and 21st in total offense. Lead back Devin Neal carried 203 times for 1,280 yards, a 6.3 average and 16 touchdowns in his second straight 1,000-yard season.
At Penn State, Singleton’s rushing numbers dipped after his 1,000-yard freshman season in 2022. He ran 171 times for 752 yards, a 4.4 average and eight touchdowns. He shared the load with classmate Kaytron Allen, who had 172 carries for 902 yards, a 5.2 average and six TDs.
They have quickly made an impression on Kotelnicki.
“I’m pumped to be able to use those guys,” he said. “When I got here and I watched those guys practice for the bowl game, I said, ‘They’re pretty good.’ Every great offense has a running back room that’s good. We want people to know their names.”
Kotelnicki believes that most successful offenses can run and pass the football effectively. He has used many formations, personnel, shifts and motions to confuse defenses and create room for his best offensive players.
“Coach K has always talked about distortion for us on the offensive end,” quarterback Drew Allar said, “getting us into open space, creating one-on-one opportunities for us and showing off our abilities as ball-carriers and pass catchers.
“I think he does a great job of presenting us opportunities to make plays in space.”
Penn State coach James Franklin fired Mike Yurcich the day after a 24-15 loss to Michigan and hired Kotelnicki with the hopes that the change would increase explosive plays. The Lions ranked among the nation’s worst teams in that category last year and Kansas was among the national leaders.
In 2022, Singleton had seven runs of at least 40 yards and five others between 20 and 31. Last year, he had four runs between 20 and 24 yards and none longer. Allen had five runs of at least 20 yards last year and four in 2022.
“Those guys are going to be what I call erasers,” Kotelnicki said. “When I say eraser, it’s somebody who can make a bad play call or a bad block right.
“It might not always show up on a 60-yard touchdown run, but it might show up on what could have been a gain of zero and it turns into a gain of 6 (yards) because they made somebody miss.”
Singleton and Allen are expected to line up at multiple spots in the new offense in the fall. Singleton became a much more productive receiver last season with 26 catches for 308 yards and two touchdowns. He finished third in the Big Ten in all-purpose yards with 105.6 per game and seventh in touchdowns with 10.
Allen had 14 receptions for 81 yards and one TD.
“We’re getting into a new offense and doing different things,” Allen said last week. “Getting better as a receiver is definitely one thing I’m trying to work on. The offense is pretty good.”
Allen and Singleton figure to be a large part of it like Neal and fellow running back Daniel Hishaw were at Kansas the last two seasons.
“Coach K told us straight up that he’s giving the best players the ball,” Singleton said. “I’m excited about that and the plays that he has. I can see them working. It’s been really good.
“Coach K has been really good ever since he stepped on campus. Everybody’s excited about the offense he has. You can tell during practice. Everybody’s hyped about it.”