Four-star running back Alvin Henderson announced his commitment to Penn State on Thursday. Henderson, who hails from Elba, Ala., picked the Nittany Lions over Auburn, Florida State, Miami and Oregon.

Henderson’s commitment comes two days before Penn State’s annual spring game, one of the most important recruiting weekends of the year. Henderson, who is ranked No. 94 overall and No. 8 among running backs in the 247Sports Composite, is the 12th player verbally committed to Penn State in the 2025 class and is one of three running backs. Henderson is the Nittany Lions’ highest-ranked commitment thus far.

How did Penn State land Henderson?

The 5-foot-9, 200-pound prospect stars at Elba High School, a small Alabama Class 1A program that’s roughly two hours south of Auburn. Henderson has been dominant to attract blue-chip attention, as he carried the ball 225 times for 3,523 yards and 61 touchdowns as a junior. Henderson wasn’t just a one-year wonder, either, having rushed for 2,636 yards as a sophomore and 1,115 as a freshman.

Penn State continues to be an appealing destination for standout running backs across the country, with recent history including the likes of Saquon Barkley, Miles Sanders, Journey Brown and the current group led by Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. Penn State is always going to recruit nationally by position when possible, but running back has been one of the positions where it is most successful in recruiting under Ja’Juan Seider.

The Nittany Lions have five players from Alabama on their 2024 roster: cornerback A.J. Harris, receiver Harrison Wallace III, safety DaKaari Nelson, receiver Malik McClain and walk-on offensive lineman Henry Boehme.

Why so many running backs?

Running back Kiandrea Barker, now at Miami Central with Penn State quarterback commit Bekkem Kritza, committed in April 2023. Aliquippa (Pa.) running back Tiqwai Hayes has been on board with Penn State since September. Signing three running backs — especially after adding Quinton Martin, one of the best in the country last cycle, and classmate Corey Smith — could be quite the haul for Seider.

The expectation is that Singleton and Allen, if all goes according to plan, will play their third season here in the fall and then likely be preparing for the NFL Draft this time next year. That would leave a unit with Martin, Cam Wallace, London Montgomery and Smith, who is slated to enroll the summer. It’s clear there’s a full-on reload happening at running back, and while keeping everyone happy is never easy, splitting time like Singleton and Allen have done — and thus limiting the wear and tear that comes with it — might help keep several of these backs engaged.

Of course, there’s a long way to go between now and when prospects can sign in December. The fact that Henderson is so far away and has visited Auburn more than any other program will likely give Penn State some trepidation in the coming months. But, should the Nittany Lions hold on, it’s undoubtedly a strong get and also creates needed momentum after Penn State recently missed on in-state QB Matt Zollers (Missouri) and standout Maryland defensive lineman Trent Wilson (Oklahoma).

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(Photo: Jake Crandall / USA Today Network)