What to expect from elite Penn State recruits Allar, Singleton

ALTOONA, Pa. -- One is the No. 1 quarterback recruit in the country. The other is the No. 1 running back, who was just named the national high school player of the year.

Both are coming to Penn State, representing two of the most highly regarded prospects to join the Nittany Lions ever.

Wednesday is national signing day, and Penn State has the No. 5 recruiting class in the country, according to 247Sports. A big reason for that is the two gems of the class -- quarterback Drew Allar from Medina, Ohio, and running back Nick Singleton from Governor Mifflin High in Reading.

On Tuesday, Singleton was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year. If that weren't awesome enough, he was told of the huge news by none other than Penn State legend and current New York Giant Saquon Barkley.

Never before has a Penn State commit won the Gatorade National Player of the Year honor, which has been awarded since 1986. So that in and of itself is a tremendous aspect of this strong recruiting class. (Note: LaVar Arrington won the Parade national award in 1996 before coming to Penn State.)

Think about how incredible it is that a team is getting the nation's top high school player, and yet that player is not the most highly anticipated member of the recruiting class. It's nearly unheard of in recruiting.

But that is the case with Penn State because of Allar.

He's an elite quarterback who can make all the throws and could have a chance to be a superstar at Penn State.

Let's take a look at what we can expect from these two high-profile recruits.

DREW ALLAR

There's a lot to discuss about next year's team with regards to Sean Clifford and Allar. You've probably seen or heard this phrase already, but 2022 will be a bridge year for Allar and the Lions.

Clifford decided to return for a sixth year, and he will be Penn State's starting quarterback for a fourth consecutive season. I've made no secret of the fact that I thought Penn State and Clifford should have gone their separate ways, and a large portion of the fan base has expressed similar thoughts, as well, on social media.

But it's all a moot point now. Clifford is returning, he will be the starter next year and that's it.

Penn State probably could have gone out and replaced Clifford with a better quarterback from the transfer portal. But that would have come with some potential issues.

For instance, the Lions most likely would have been limited to finding a one-year stopgap quarterback, rather than someone with multiple years of eligibility left. Why? Because if Penn State would have landed a great quarterback who might stick around for two years or more, then that guy would have prevented Allar from taking over as the starter for a couple of years.

The way things work with quarterbacks nowadays, guys don't want to sit on the bench for two years. And especially not the No. 1 quarterback recruit in the nation.

Also, if Penn State would have brought in a transfer quarterback, there's a chance that player would be on the selfish side, looking out for his own best interests to further his career rather than be interested in trying to help mentor a freshman that he knows might be able to take his job at some point.

So, with a veteran like Clifford back for only one more year, he can mentor Allar next season and help prepare the young man for when he'll be able to take over as the starter. That presumably will be at the beginning of the 2023 season, if everything goes as planned.

Clifford loves Penn State and will do anything he can to help the program succeed, even after he's gone, and he knows his role will be to help develop Allar as much as possible.

Could Allar be Clifford's backup next season?

Sure, it's possible. If he gets to campus and turns out to be terrific right away, then yes, there would be a good chance he could be the No. 2 quarterback next season. He is enrolling early, so he will be able to go through spring ball and summer workouts, which will help his chances to winning the backup job.

However, the guess here is that Christian Veilleux will open next season as Clifford's backup. Veilleux did well in his opportunity against Rutgers when Clifford had the flu and will have more experience by the start of the season. Now, even if Veilleux wins the backup job for the opener, it doesn't mean Allar won't still have a chance to battle for the No. 2 spot and potentially overtake Veilleux at some point during the season.

How good will Allar be? I don't know. No one knows. We all can talk about how he's a great prospect and the sky is the limit, but he's sure to go through some growing pains in his career as he learns how to play quarterback at a major college program. Many, many superstar high school quarterbacks haven't panned out in college for various reasons, and no one should just assume Allar will be a can't-miss star.

Fans have every right to hope that can happen, however. And if it does, then we'll get to see Allar take over the program as the starter in 2023. If he's sensational, he'll be the starter for two years and then head to NFL draft a year early. If Allar needs more time to develop than expected, then he could wind up being a three-year starter.

Any time I write about Allar and his potential, someone always asks about Beau Pribula, an outstanding quarterback prospect who's also part of this Penn State recruiting class. I would think Pribula will be given opportunities to show what he can do, and if by some chance he turns out to be better than Allar or Veilleux, then he could end up being a starter at some point.

We also need to keep in mind that the transfer portal will always be out there, going both ways. If the right guy comes along, Penn State will always need to be open minded about that, especially if Allar struggles more than expected. And of course, any quarterback who doesn't end up starting could be a candidate to transfer out in a year or two.

NICK SINGLETON

This is a general statement about any running back, not just Singleton: If Penn State's offensive line play doesn't improve, it won't matter who is running the ball.

The offensive line has been embarrassingly bad this season when it comes to run blocking, with Penn State having its second-worst rushing attack ever. The Lions haven't had a 100-yard rusher all season, and more often than not, they've been flat terrible, especially in short-yardage situations.

Could Singleton fix that as a true freshman in 2022?

It's doubtful. That's not a knock in any way on him, it's just that freshmen running backs usually need some time to get acclimated to the college game.

Noah Cain will be back next season, along with Keyvone Lee. We think, anyway. You just never know with the transfer portal. But I would expect those two will begin next season battling for the starting job, while Caziah Holmes also could be in the mix (if he doesn't transfer).

I would see Singleton getting some occasional carries next season, and more as the year goes on. Now, Barkley took over as the starter as a true freshman in 2015, and turned out to be sensational. Maybe Singleton could do the same, but I fully expect Cain and Lee to get most of the carries.

Both Lee and Cain could be back in 2023, as well, so it's possible Singleton could have to wait even longer to become the primary tailback. Although, if he's truly as good as many people believe, then he could surpass both of those other guys either late next season or by the start of 2023.

It can be really tough for high school stars to be patient and wait for their turn in college. Even the most heralded of recruits often have to sit behind someone else for a year or two at most schools, and it wouldn't at all be a surprise if both Allar and Singleton have to do the same.

But once they do get on the field, everyone will be watching very closely to see if they can live up to the incredible hype. And if they do, in the same backfield, then Penn State's offense could be really fun to watch in a couple of years.