Kaytron Allen’s rookie year in Washington has hit an unexpected pause.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Thursday afternoon that the Commanders have waived Allen, cutting ties with the former Penn State standout in the middle of his first NFL season.
The move lands with some surprise because Allen had already made the team out of training camp and appeared in Washington’s first four games. He carried the ball 12 times for 41 yards during that stretch.
Allen arrived in the league as a sixth-round pick in this year’s draft after leaving Penn State with a résumé that put him among the program’s best. He is the Nittany Lions’ all-time leading rusher, and he reached that mark while sharing the backfield with Nicholas Singleton.
His final college season was the best statistical one of his career. Allen finished with 1,303 rushing yards, 15 touchdowns and a 6.2 yards-per-carry average.
Even as Penn State’s season drifted off course after opening with national title expectations, he kept producing. In fact, he got stronger as the year wore on, topping 100 rushing yards in each of his final six games.
Allen is just 23, so there’s still plenty of runway ahead for him.
His exit from Washington also comes at a time when Penn State could use a back like him. The Nittany Lions are 3-2 and have dropped both of their first two Big Ten games. The offense has struggled to get anything going on the ground, averaging just 2.2 yards per carry against Northwestern, and the passing game has also come up short through two Big Ten contests.
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...
Penn State Faces A White Out Turning Point With Offense Under Pressure
Penn State heads into its third conference game of the 2026 season with the White Out again looming as one of the biggest stages on the schedule, and the timing could hardly be more pointed. Offensively, the Nittany Lions are trying to steady themselves after a rocky stretch, while the defense is also under the microscope after recent issues with tackling. It is the kind of midseason spot where the noise is part of the atmosphere, but the pressure comes from what has happened on the field.
Matt Campbell has already settled one of the most important questions by naming Rocco Becht the starting quarterback for the rest of the season, which at least gives Penn State a clear direction under center. The harder part is sorting out the rest of the offense, especially the run game, and the staff is still trying to find the right answers there before USC arrives for a matchup that could say plenty about where this team is headed next. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Defense Is Trying To Fix An Ugly Problem Fast
Following Penn States loss to Northwestern, the defense has spent the week staring straight at the part of its game that hurt most: tackling. Safety Jeremiah Cooper said the group was disgusted and sick about how it finished plays, and coach DAnton Lynn responded by ramping up tackling work in practice after isolating the specific breakdowns from the game. The focus has been less on moving past the loss and more on making sure the same mistakes do not linger.
Players have noticed the difference on the practice field, where the intensity and physicality have both picked up as the Nittany Lions get ready for USC. That extra work suggests Penn State is treating the issue as more than a one-week correction, especially with a bigger challenge on deck. How quickly the defense turns the added reps into cleaner execution will go a long way toward showing whether the fix is real. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State's Beaver Stadium Is Already Getting In USC's Heads
Lincoln Riley has not yet walked into Beaver Stadium, but USC is already treating the place like a problem to solve. The Trojans are preparing for their trip to Penn State by pumping in crowd noise at practice, trying to recreate some version of what they expect when they arrive in one of college footballs more intimidating road environments.
Freshman edge rusher Luke Wafle, who has seen it before on a recruiting visit and again at a game, offered the kind of reminder USC probably did not need: the place is loud, and it can wear on a visiting team. For a roster heading into a big night in Happy Valley, the buildup has already turned into part football, part survival test, with the noise itself becoming a major piece of the week. [Read more 🡒]