Early positional outlook: How the Penn State RBs break down

Penn State’s running game to be under the microscope in 2022. Here’s what the position looks like right now

Say goodbye to Noah Cain

Photo: Scott Taetsch/Getty Images

After a tough 2021 season, Noah Cain decided to enter the NCAA transfer portal and explore his options. And soon after he did, Cain made a decision to move on from Penn State and join LSU. Cain will have immediate eligibility with the Tigers and could end up being a great pickup for new LSU head coach Brian Kelly. All in all, this could end up being a great move for Cain, although LSU’s running game wasn’t much better than Penn State’s in 2021.

Cain battled injury concerns during his time at Penn State, which was unfortunate given the ceiling he was expected to have. Cain rushed for 443 yards and eight touchdowns as a freshman, including back-to-back 100-yard games against Purdue and Iowa and then 92 rushing yards and two touchdowns in a Cotton Bowl victory over Memphis, a perfect complement to Journey Brown at the time.

Cain’s 2020 season ended just as it got started with what turned out to be a season-ending injury after just three rushing attempts in the season opener at Indiana. After scoring a touchdown in each of Penn State’s first three games of the 2021 season, including one against Auburn, Cain scored just one more touchdown the rest of the season.