Short-yardage / goal-line · enumeration
Who gets the tough yard
11/153rd/4th & short
17/29Inside-5 share
11 of 15 on 3rd/4th-and-2-or-less (73.3%). 17 of the team's 29 inside-the-5 carries (58.6%).
Nicholas Singleton
Nicholas Singleton: RB · Penn State · #10.
Similar players
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Nicholas Singleton
Wears you down at the goal line. Played for two head coaches at Penn State: James Franklin and Terry Smith. All-Big Ten in 2023 made it two straight seasons on the honors list. On tape: 86 rushing yards and 23 receiving yards against Rutgers, Week 14, 2025.
Style of play
Style of play
Play style
Short-yardage and goal-line specialist. Carries the load, owns the red zone.
Fans
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
Penn State in the news
Where to follow
Career stats
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Penn State | 123 | 549 | 4.5 | 13 | 59 |
| 2024 | Penn State | 172 | 1,099 | 6.4 | 12 | 58 |
| 2023 | Penn State | 171 | 752 | 4.4 | 8 | 24 |
| 2022 | Penn State | 155 | 1,052 | 6.8 | 12 | 87 |
| Career | 621 | 3,452 | 5.6 | 45 | 87 |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Penn State | 24 | 219 | 9.1 | 1 | 50 |
| 2024 | Penn State | 41 | 375 | 9.1 | 5 | 27 |
| 2023 | Penn State | 26 | 308 | 11.8 | 2 | 53 |
| 2022 | Penn State | 11 | 85 | 7.7 | 1 | 22 |
| Career | 102 | 987 | 9.7 | 9 | 53 |
Game log
Game log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 12 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 46-11vs Nevada | 8 | 19 | 2.4 | 2 | 6 | |
| Wk 2 | W 34-0vs Florida International | 13 | 76 | 5.8 | 1 | 16 | |
| Wk 3 | W 52-6vs Villanova | 20 | 84 | 4.2 | 2 | 14 | |
| Wk 5 | L 24-30vs No. 6 Oregon | 11 | 21 | 1.9 | 0 | 6 | |
| Wk 6 | L 37-42@ UCLA | 11 | 39 | 3.5 | 0 | 13 | |
| Wk 7 | L 21-22vs Northwestern | 7 | 20 | 2.9 | 1 | 7 | |
| Wk 8 | L 24-25@ Iowa | 6 | 15 | 2.5 | 0 | 5 | |
| Wk 10 | L 14-38@ No. 1 Ohio State | 6 | 18 | 3.0 | 1 | 5 | |
| Wk 11 | L 24-27vs No. 2 Indiana | 10 | 71 | 7.1 | 2 | 59 | |
| Wk 12 | W 28-10@ Michigan State | 15 | 56 | 3.7 | 0 | 14 | |
| Wk 13 | W 37-10vs Nebraska | 7 | 44 | 6.3 | 2 | 14 | |
| Wk 14 | W 40-36@ Rutgers | 9 | 86 | 9.6 | 2 | 53 | Season-high 86 yds |
| Total | 123 | 549 | 4.5 | 13 | 59 |
Signature game
Week 11 · 2025
L 24-27
vs Indiana
71 rush yds (10 car) · 2 TD · 3 rec · 22 yds · 1 TD
With E. Grunkemeyer — 219 yds · 1 TD · 1 INT · QBR 78.6 · G. Nwosu — 43.3 yards per punt · 3 punts · 1 inside the 20
Signature plays
The plays that mattered most
- Week 11 · Indiana · 2nd and 6 · Q4 · EPA +4.19N.Singleton rush middle for 59 yards gain (D.Ponds)
- Week 14 · Rutgers · 2nd and 10 · Q1 · EPA +4.12N.Singleton rush left for 53 yards gain (J.Elad)
- Week 13 · Nebraska · 1st and 10 · Q1 · EPA +3.51Grunkemeyer to Singleton: a 50-yard pass.
- Week 13 · Nebraska · 3rd and 6 · Q2 · EPA +2.89N.Singleton rush left for 10 yards gain for a touchdown
- Week 7 · Northwestern · 4th and 2 · Q2 · EPA +2.85Nicholas Singleton run for 2 yds for a TD (Ryan Barker KICK)
- Week 11 · Indiana · 2nd and 8 · Q4 · EPA +2.84Grunkemeyer to Singleton: a 19-yard touchdown pass.
4 more plays
- Week 5 · Oregon · 3rd and 8 · Q2 · EPA +2.75Drew Allar pass complete to Nicholas Singleton for 13 yds to the ORE 38 for a
- Week 10 · Ohio State · 3rd and 3 · Q2 · EPA +2.62N.Singleton rush left for 3 yards gain for a touchdown
- Week 14 · Rutgers · 3rd and 1 · Q1 · EPA +2.57N.Singleton rush middle for 11 yards gain for a touchdown
- Week 10 · Ohio State · 2nd and 10 · Q2 · EPA +2.50Grunkemeyer to Singleton: a 16-yard pass.
Rushing profile
Rush profile · Shape, efficiency, and ball security
How he gets his yards, and how often it works
114 of 123 carries matched to play-by-play
Success rate
41%114 carriesStuffed
0 or fewer yds15%of carries
17 carries
Grind
1–3 yds38%of carries
43 carries
Chunk
4–9 yds39%of carries
45 carries
Explosive
10+ yds8%of carries
9 carries
10 of 14 (71%) converted on 3rd/4th & short (≤2 to go) · 6 of 12 (50%) scored from inside the 5-yard line
4.5 yds/carry on 123 carries · 8% explosive (10+ yds) · 41% success rate.
Receiving profile
Receiver profile · Targets, catch rate, and throw depth
How often he's targeted, and how well it works
24 of 24 receptions matched to play-by-play
14 of 31 targets charted for true throw depth
Targets
3112% of team targetsCatch rate
77%24 of 31 targetsBehind LOS · Negative air yds
79% of targets (11)
91%catch rate
Air -2.7 · YAC 13.7 avg
Short · 0–9 air yds
14% of targets (2)
50%catch rate
Air 3.0 · YAC 8.0 avg
Deep · 20+ air yds
7% of targets (1)
0%catch rate
Air 31.0 avg
77% catch rate on 31 targets · 12% of the team's targets.
Situational
Situational · Carry shape (PBP, full season)
Yardage DNA
15%
Stuffed (≤0)
38%
Grind (1–3)
39%
Chunk (4–9)
8%
Explosive (10+)
Teams and coaches
2022Penn State11-2HC: James Franklin · Run-leaning
2023Penn State10-3HC: James Franklin · Run-leaning
2024Penn State13-3HC: James Franklin · Run-leaning
2025Penn State7-6HC: James Franklin and Terry Smith · Run-leaning
Our ratings
Splits
Home and road splits, scheme and staff
Splits · Per-game
2025 season · 12 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home7g | 47.9 | 4.4 | 1.4 |
| Road5g | 42.8 | 4.5 | 0.6 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 43.2 | 3.4 | 1.0 |
| Weeks 8+6g | 48.3 | 5.4 | 1.2 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Terry Smith
Pass share
42.0%
339 pass / 469 run
Plays / game
62.2
13 games
Team sack rate
5.3%
318 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Starter
123 carries and 24 catches in 12 games, about as many touches a game as a typical FBS running back who plays every week.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
61 · #71 of 326 RBs · 2025
Former five-star. Now #71 at the position.
Four seasons at Penn State, drafted
- 2026 Drafted in round 5, No. 165 by the Tennessee
- 2025 Penn State FranklinYear 4 · 12 games
- 2024 Penn State FranklinYear 3 · 15 games
- 2023 Penn State FranklinYear 2 · 13 gamesAll-conference
- 2022 Penn State FranklinYear 1 · 13 gamesAll-conference
- High school Governor MifflinReading, PA · Class of 2022Five-star, No. 31 in the 2022 class. Signed with Penn State.
How it ended
Four seasons at Penn State, 3,452 rushing yards — drafted at #165 overall by the Tennessee Titans.
Honored in a first season.
The week the volume broke through — put up 86 yds vs Ole Miss.Ole Miss · L 25-382023
2022 13 games
- Signed with Penn StateFive-star, out of Governor Mifflin
- All-Big Tenthird
- Big Ten Thompson–Randle El Freshman of the Yearwinner
2023 13 games
- All-Big Tenthird
2026
- Drafted by Tennessee Titansround 5, pick 165
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-BIG TEN
All-Big Ten mention (2023)
Weekly recognition
3 weekly honors (2022)
Big Ten Freshman Player of the Week
Coaching lineage · 2022–2025
2 coaches2022–2024
Penn State
Coaching transition mid-career: James Franklin → Terry Smith. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Next stop · NFL
Tennessee Titans2026 NFL rookie season
#165Rd 5 · Pick 25
Tennessee Titans2026 NFL rookie season