Nick Singleton is a dual threat.

In his first two seasons with Penn State football, the running back was often criticized for his receiving abilities. Singleton had issues catching passes and was disregarded as a downfield threat by opposing defenses.

Singleton’s poor receiving reputation forced Penn State to focus on other options downfield. In his freshman season, where he appeared in all 13 games, Singleton only had 11 receptions for 85 yards.

His rushing ability was unanimously agreed upon to be impressive, but it was clear that Singleton needed to improve his receiving skills to open up the offense and create options downfield.

In his sophomore season, Singletone’s numbers improved. He had 26 receptions for 308 yards, a significant improvement upon the previous season, but only two of those 26 receptions were touchdown receptions.

In the red zone, Singleton’s reputation for not having the best hands made former offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich hesitant to utilize him. However, Yurcich’s time with Penn State was not to last. Penn State brought in Andy Kotelnicki as the new offensive coordinator, a coach known for his daring playcalling style.

Over the offseason, Singleton worked to improve his receiving abilities, knowing that was the area of the game he needed to improve upon the most. Singleton has demonstrated his improved hands throughout this season thus far, culminating with an impressive one-handed grab this week against Wisconsin.

“I put a lot [of effort] into it,” Singleton said about his receiving skills after the Wisconsin win. “Being with the tight ends, the receivers, the quarterbacks throughout the whole offseason, not just the running backs.”

Singleton’s one-handed touchdown grab felt like proof of his improved skills. He admitted that it was the best catch he’s ever made, and as of the post-game press conference, Singleton rewatched the clip a few times.

“That’s my first one-handed catch in a big moment like that. It was crazy,” Singleton said.

In only six games played, Singleton doubled his receiving touchdowns from last season, with four so far in this campaign. His improved hands have made him a threat in the red zone, even when he’s not lined up behind the quarterback.

James Franklin also sang the praises of Singleton’s improved receiving capabilities.

“It’s probably the area he’s improved the most in his time at Penn State: as a receiver,” Franklin said. “I mean, that was a one-handed catch, a tough catch, and he’s a matchup problem.”

Franklin said Singleton’s ability as a receiver opens up the field and causes problems for opposing defenses who are playing man coverage. Sending Singleton out wide might force the defense to cover him with a linebacker or safety who might not be able to stick with him.

Franklin said the team plans to continue expanding Singleton’s presence as a receiver. So far this season, Singleton already has 13 receptions and 150 receiving yards, outpacing his freshman-year statistics in seven-less games.

With Singleton’s improved skills in a Kotelnicki-run offense that occasionally puts a tight end under center and a quarterback out wide, it will make it extremely difficult for opposing defenses to read and contain the Nittany Lion’s offense in the red zone.

Singleton’s one-handed grab against Wisconsin may feel like the culmination of his hard work, but with at least six games left in the season, there may be more impressive receptions to come.