.png)
||
It’s an early two-man race according to the roundtable.
Jared
RB Nicholas Singleton
It was obvious that Singleton was a special player from the start. Just seeing him hit the hole with such speed and aggresiveness was a refreshing visual for Penn State fans who had witnessed some subpar play from the running backs during the past couple seasons. He finished the season with over 1,000 yards on the ground and 14 total touchdowns - quite impressive for someone to do this in the Big Ten right out of high school. However, the most impressive part is that Singleton was learning the nuances of the position on the fly.
At first, Singleton attempted to use his world-class speed and acceleration with each touch. He gradually learned to run lower to the ground rather than an upright track star. He learned to rely on his vision to elude tacklers rather than just trying to flat-out outrun them to the corner. The results were astounding, capping off the season with 120 rushing yards and two touchdowns against one of the nation’s better run defenses in the Rose Bowl - on only seven carries. Singleton has spent the offense improving his body and understanding of the position, and could find himself on the Heisman list not long after the ‘23 season is underway.
Brian
QB Drew Allar
I’ll go ahead and do it. There are guys who would be viewed as “more outstanding” on offense - starting with Singleton. There are guys who would be viewed as “bigger pro prospects” - namely Olu. But valuable, which I’m defining here as the player whose performance will most decide the season, falls on the ballyhooed recruit who was waiting in the wings in 2022.
Sean Clifford, and all of his presnap reads, is gone. So, the toughest and most valuable position in team sports falls on Allar’s shoulders. They’re broad and they help him effortlessly throw lasers all over the field in workouts or warmups. Penn State can rely on its defense and running game early in the year, but ultimately the potential of this team in the Big Ten/national picture will come down to how Allar handles the grind of the Big Ten schedule.
Eli
QB Drew Allar
I’m just going to repeat all of Bennett’s points here. Sean Clifford’s experience helped prepare Drew for this moment, but the reason he’s the expected starter is because he can do things with his physical abilities that Clifford simply couldn’t. The rest of the team around him is there. The Lions have added reinforcements where they need them (like wide receiver), all that is needed now is someone to elevate the one position that has kept Penn State out of the playoff picture every time they’ve tried.
Marty
QB Drew Allar
Entering the season Drew Allar won’t be Penn State’s best offensive player, at least not yet. However, if the Nittany Lions are going to get where they want to go in 2023 it will be due to the right arm of Allar. He has the elite skillset and arm talent to be among the best quarterbacks in the country. If he puts it all together, he won’t just be Penn State’s offensive MVP this season — he could be the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. Having a really good offensive line in front of him, arguably the best running back duo in the country, a tight end room as talented as any in the conference, and a wide receiver room dripping with talent (albeit unproven) should only help Allar’s cause to make a big leap this season.
Chris
RB Nicholas Singleton
I considered Drew Allar for this, but being unproven made me shy away from it. Singleton has already proven himself with an explosive freshman campaign, which should only improve with an offensive line that SEEMS ready to be a strength. Having a stellar counterpart in Kaytron Allen also means that Nicholas can stay fresh from game to game, rather than being ground down as the season goes on. Lastly, if Drew Allar IS as good as we hope, and the passing game becomes a complement to the run game, I expect Nicholas to feast.
||--------------------------------
By: Jared Slanina
Title: Who Will be the MVP of the Penn State Offense in 2023?
Sourced From: www.blackshoediaries.com/2023/5/31/23743675/penn-state-nittany-lions-football-2023-offense-mvp-nicholas-singleton-drew-allar
Published Date: Wed, 31 May 2023 14:33:00 +0000
