How Kaytron Allen broke out of his shell to emerge as a star in Penn State’s backfield

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — It has been a breakout 2025 season for Kaytron Allen, who etched his name into Penn State history as the program’s all-time leading rusher.

But the senior running back’s path to stardom was a bumpy one.

Allen rushed for 1,769 yards and 16 touchdowns across his first two seasons in Happy Valley. He thrived next to Nicholas Singleton, his fellow Class of 2022 running back. But he was missing a key element, the final hurdle to becoming a true No. 1 RB.

While Allen’s runs were loud, his voice and presence within the Lasche Building were nonexistent. He attended team meetings and film sessions, but a simple head nod was the only interaction he had with most teammates and coaches.

That was, until one kind gesture changed his demeanor.

When Allen had nowhere to go for Thanksgiving during his sophomore year, Terry Smith, who served as Penn State’s associate head coach and cornerbacks coach at the time, invited him to join his family for Thanksgiving in Pittsburgh. Allen got to see his coach in a different light, as a family man.

It marked the start of a bond between the shy running back and the interim coach known as “the truth teller” inside the Nittany Lions program. And it marked the beginning of Allen’s ascension.

“Kaytron is a man of very few words. Up until that point, I would see him in the building and say, ‘Hey, what’s up?’ And he gave me one of those [head nods] and kept it moving. Then we had Thanksgiving with him, and he saw me in a different light. And from that day forward, Kaytron and I became [close].”

Smith’s friendship seemed to unlock a new side of Allen, one that was more open and honest, not only with his teammates and coaches, but also with himself. And with that honesty came increased production.

The Norfolk, Va., native rushed for 1,108 yards and eight touchdowns in his junior campaign. He saved his best football for the College Football Playoff, where he rushed 47 times for 286 yards and two touchdowns in three games as Penn State finished with a program-best 13 wins.

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While Allen’s breakout season mirrored that of Singleton’s, who rushed for 1,099 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, the latter remained Penn State’s prized running back. And it was Singleton who made both ESPN and CBS Sports’ 2025 preseason All-America teams.

But through the first six games of the 2025 campaign, Allen’s production took center stage. While the duo split carries at 70 apiece during that stretch, Allen’s 467 rushing yards far outpaced Singleton’s 259. He ran for seven touchdowns to Singleton’s six behind the same offensive line, same blocking, and same play calls.

James Franklin’s firing on Oct. 12 signaled a drastic shift in Penn State football. Smith took over as interim head coach and quickly made a promise to Allen: He would do everything to get his star running back the program’s rushing record.

“It means a lot when you have a coach who believes in you. It makes you want to go hard for him, gets [me] going,” Allen said. “I appreciate [Smith] a lot for giving me that boost in confidence.”

Smith made good on his promise in his first contest as interim head coach. Against Iowa, Allen rushed a career-high 28 times for 145 yards and two touchdowns while Singleton tallied just six carries. And despite the Nittany Lions’ 25-24 loss, one thing was certain: Allen was the team’s RB1.

His uptick in production didn’t stop in Iowa City. Over the team’s next five games, Allen rushed 92 times to Singleton’s 47. His confidence was building with every carry, every broken tackle, every touchdown.

After years of sharing a backfield but not the praise or spotlight associated with his production, it was fitting that Allen’s signature touchdown celebration — kicking down an imaginary door — encapsulated this moment in his career. And the best part: His best games were still ahead.

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“Kaytron is my guy. We’re roommates, we’ve been through a lot, we stuck together,” Singleton said. “We made each other better. He made me better every day just by competing with him.”

Penn State’s No. 13 rushed for 181 yards and two touchdowns in his team’s 28-10 victory over Michigan State. The next week, he had 25 carries for 160 yards against Nebraska to set the program’s all-time rushing record, surpassing Evan Royster’s mark of 3,932 yards. Allen’s total stands at 4,180.

He could add to that total since Penn State qualified for a bowl game with its 6-6 record, but Allen has not indicated if he would play at the risk of an injury that could impact his NFL potential.

Allen said his goal as a freshman was to simply make a difference to help his team win football games. Mission accomplished.

“We’re just so proud of him,” center Nick Dawkins said. “We wanted to get this done for him. We knew preseason that this was an accolade that we wanted to achieve for him as an offensive line, and for him to get his flowers is amazing because he works so hard.”

In a fitting end to his final college regular season, Allen rushed 22 times for 226 yards and a touchdown in Penn State’s 40-36 win over Rutgers. He earned three consecutive Big Ten Player of the Week awards after averaging 189 rushing yards per game over his final three contests.

Allen finished the regular season with career highs in rushing yards (1,303) and yards per carry (6.2). He rushed for more touchdowns (15) than he had in his previous two seasons combined (14). At last, his ascent to becoming Penn State’s top running back was complete.

“There have been a lot of ups and downs, more downs than ups,” Allen said. ”The adversity I had to come through, I learned a lot off the field just trying to buy in, trying to open up and do things differently from what I’m used to. I appreciate everyone [at Penn State].”