Penn State fans got a jolt Thursday when a familiar name surfaced on an NFL transaction report: Kaytron Allen has been waived by the Washington Commanders in the middle of his rookie season.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the move Thursday afternoon, cutting short what had been a promising start to Allen’s first pro year. The news landed with extra sting because Allen is hardly some ordinary former Nittany Lion. He left Penn State as the program’s all-time leading rusher, and he did it while sharing the backfield with Nicholas Singleton.
Allen’s final college season made the case for why that label fits. In 2025, he posted the best statistical year of his career, finishing with 1,303 yards and 15 touchdowns while averaging 6.2 yards per carry.
And when Penn State’s season drifted off course after opening with national title expectations, Allen didn’t fade with it. He kept building, topping 100 yards in each of the final six games.
That production helped get him to Washington as a sixth-round pick in this year’s draft. He survived training camp, made the roster, and played in each of the Commanders’ first four games. Over that stretch, he totaled 41 yards on 12 carries.
Allen is only 23, which leaves plenty of runway ahead of him, and there’s a good chance his name comes back into the conversation later this season.
For Penn State, the timing of the news only adds to the frustration around a team that could use his kind of punch right now. The Nittany Lions are 3-2 after dropping their first two Big Ten games. The offense hasn’t found its footing on the ground or through the air, averaging just 2.2 yards per carry against Northwestern and struggling to throw the ball through two conference games.
Penn State’s annual White Out Game is set for this weekend against USC, with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 on NBC.
In Other News...
Marylands Late-Game Problem Is Becoming A Bigger Mike Locksley Issue
Marylands recent slide has kept showing the same troubling pattern: the Terps have been hanging around long enough to make games interesting, then unraveling when the pressure spikes. Malik Washington has been part of that story with multiple interceptions, including pick-sixes, and the defense has had its own rough stretches as opponents find too many explosive plays. For a team already trying to steady itself in Big Ten play, the late-game lapses have turned into the kind of issue that follows a program from week to week.
Mike Locksley has already acknowledged the broader challenge of getting his team back on track, pointing to the need for cleaner fundamentals and a more complete effort as Maryland works through injuries and looks ahead to reinforcements returning soon. The concern now is less about one bad quarter than a pattern that keeps resurfacing, and until the Terps show they can finish better, every close game starts to feel like the same movie with a different ending. [Read more 🡒]
Marylands First Preseason Test Will Say A Lot About This Team
Maryland gets its first real chance to see where the pieces stand this month, when the Terps face Georgia Tech on Oct. 11 and then West Virginia on Oct. 18 in a pair of exhibition games that should offer an early read on a roster with a few important anchors. One of them is Pharrel Payne, who was named to the Preseason All-Big Ten team and gives Maryland a proven interior presence heading into his fifth year.
Andre Mills is another reason these early tuneups matter. After a breakout freshman season, he arrives with more expectations and more responsibility, and Maryland will be watching closely to see how his game translates into a bigger role. The exhibitions will not count in the standings, but they should tell a fair amount about how quickly the Terps can settle in and which players are ready to drive the next step. [Read more 🡒]