Penn State Running Back Nick Singleton Named Big Ten Freshman of the Year

Penn State running back Nick Singleton is the Big Ten’s Thompson-Randle El Freshman of the Year, as announced by the conference Wednesday afternoon. Singleton is the first Nittany Lion to take home the award since Christian Hackenberg in 2013.

Singleton burst onto the scene during his first year in Happy Valley. The Pennsylvania native carried the ball 149 times for 941 yards (6.3 yards per attempt) and 10 touchdowns during Penn State’s 10-2 regular season. His 10 rushing touchdowns broke Noah Cain’s previous freshman running back record of eight.

From early in the season, Singleton’s breakaway ability was on full display, as he put on a show in Penn State’s home opener against Ohio with 179 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Singleton and fellow true freshman Kaytron Allen formed a potent duo out of the backfield this season that helped revive the Nittany Lions’ explosive running game that lacked over the past two seasons.

The award is one of three postseason conference honors for Singleton. He earned second-team All-Big Ten honors from the media on Tuesday for his prowess as a kick returner, a role in which he returned a kickoff in Penn State’s win over Rutgers, and also was named third-team all-conference at running back by coaches and media on Wednesday

Related: Nearly Two Dozen Nittany Lions Recognized with All-Big Ten Selections