Penn State's Kaytron Allen Sends Message to Commanders Fans and NFL Doubters

Penn State's 2025-26 season might not have gone as planned, and the 2026 NFL Draft wasn't exactly perfect for the Nittany Lions, but there are still multiple players who look like they're going to have a very long and bright career at the highest level. 

At the top of that list are Vega Ioane, Drew Allar, and, I think, a lot of people are forgetting about Kaytron Allen, the Nittany Lions' star running back who had to sacrifice a lot because of Nicholas Singleton over the past few years.

The same can be said about Singleton, but Allen was often viewed as the better running back, at least last season, and that isn't always how things played out in terms of carries for Penn State.

Now with the Washington Commanders, Allen will have an opportunity to not only prove that he should have been more of the focus of the Penn State offense, but that he can play in the NFL. He's often regarded as a bruiser, someone who can barrel anybody over at any given moment. 

However, when speaking with the team, Allen said he's more than that, and he's excited to show everyone he has all the tools to be a legitimate NFL running back.

"I'm excited to show the world what I can really do," Allen told Commanders host Bryan Colbert Jr., per the team. "I feel like I haven't shown everything I can really do… I feel like I can do everything as a running back," Allen said. "I feel like I can run the ball; I can catch the ball; I can run routes; I can do different things.

"I think they just try to put a label on me that's not what it really is," Allen said. "Time will tell."

It'll be interesting to see whether the Commanders view him in a similar light, as head coach Dan Quinn will ultimately be the one who has to decide. 

His assistant general manager, however, views him as somebody who can push guys around at the line of scrimmage, which is what Allen often did during his time with the Nittany Lions.

"He has true move-the-line-of-scrimmage pile push," assistant general manager Lance Newmark said. "(He's) a power player with a lot of defenders falling backwards as they're bringing him down."