Saturday Blitz
Fansided

Penn State Football: Projected 2-deep depth chart for 2017

By Ryan T. Smith

PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 02: Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin looks on against the USC Trojans during the 2017 Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 2, 2017 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 02: Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin looks on against the USC Trojans during the 2017 Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 2, 2017 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 7
Next
PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 02: Running back Saquon Barkley #26 of the Penn State Nittany Lions runs with the ball against the USC Trojans during the 2017 Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 2, 2017 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 02: Running back Saquon Barkley #26 of the Penn State Nittany Lions runs with the ball against the USC Trojans during the 2017 Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 2, 2017 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) /

Running Back

Starting running back: Saquon Barkley
Backup: Miles Sanders

This is, without a doubt, one of the best running back corps in the nation. Barkley is a genuine Heisman contender after rushing for 1,496 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2016. He was a bit of a boom-or-bust runner last season, but man, those booms were really, really large booms. Plus, a lot of the inconsistencies will be remedied with more experience in the offensive line. Barkley’s the real deal, and he’ll likely put up video game-type numbers this season.

It’ll be interesting to see how the Nittany Lions split up carries between the trio of talented backs spelling Barkley. Our bet here is that blue-chip sophomore Miles Sanders emerges from the pack. He showed incredible promise in 2016, racking up 184 yards on just 25 carries (7.4 ypc), but he also had trouble hanging on to the football. If he can fix that, he’s a future star. If not, Andre Roberson and Mark Allen combined for over 250 yards and six touchdowns last year, and are perfectly capable options.

Home/Penn State Nittany Lions