Penn State running back Nicholas Singleton is not going to enter the transfer portal or declare for the NFL Draft, for now. The university blamed a system glitch for the widespread panic that ensued amongst its college football fanbase on Monday morning.
There is no reason to worry!
Singleton, the top-ranked prospect at his position in the recruiting Class of 2022, ran for more than 1,000 yards this past season with 17 total touchdowns. He and Kaytron Allen are perhaps the most dominant one-two punch in college football. They accounted for more than 35% of Penn State’s total offense.
Unfortunately, despite 80+ yard performances from both of their running backs, the Nittany Lions lost to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the semifinal round of the College Football Playoff on Thursday night. The spring semester got underway at Penn State four days later.
Class was in back session in University Park on Monday morning. However, Nick Singleton’s name was/is not listed as a student in the university database.
Although the transfer portal already closed its winter window, players who played in a late bowl game or in the Playoff received an extension. They are allowed five additional days to enter the transfer portal after the conclusion of their season.
Is Nick Singleton going to leave Penn State?!
If Nick Singleton was/is not enrolled at Penn State as the database suggested, that could indicate his plan to leave the program and play somewhere else in 2025. He could also declare for the NFL Draft.
Both of those things technically could still happen. Nittany Lions players have until Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. to enter the portal. Draft-eligible players can turn pro at any time before 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 24.
UPDATE: Singleton officially announced his return!
However, it did not seem like Singleton is going to leave because he is in fact enrolled for the spring semester. The system glitched.
Nicholas Singleton is enrolled in spring classes at the University. We do not have any explanation as to why he is not listed in the University’s student directory at this time.
— Penn State spokesman, via Nittany Sports Now
This is obviously great news for Penn State. James Franklin’s leading rusher is taking classes as scheduled. His return for the spring semester seems to indicate that he is going to come back for one more year. Maybe not.
Perhaps Nicholas Singleton will enter his name into the NFL Draft pool at some point in the next 11 days. If the database glitch is real, and he is actually in the classroom, that seems unlikely.