On March 9, four-star running back Nicholas Singleton released a top nine of Penn State, Wisconsin, Texas A&M, Alabama, Auburn, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Michigan and Northwestern.

The Shillington (Pa.) Governor Mifflin standout has already visited schools across the country, so he has a good idea of what he’s looking for - and maybe what won’t be the best fit as well.

Recently, Singleton said he’s definitely planning official visits to Penn State and Wisconsin, and then Alabama and Notre Dame should get visits as well. Ohio State could definitely be in the running, too.

Here is a look at which programs are the real contenders in Singleton’s recruitment and which ones are the pretenders.

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Five schools seem to have a legitimate shot at Singleton right now. Let’s start with Ohio State because position coach Tony Alford has made the four-star feel like a top priority, they talk all the time and just like every other elite recruit, Singleton is intrigued by what the Buckeyes have done and could continue to do on the way to more College Football Playoff runs.

Notre Dame is also very high on the list and the Irish are in the mix for at least one running back in this class as Singleton, Dallan Hayden and maybe some others top the list. The four-star said at first that Penn State and Wisconsin would receive official visits and then quickly added that Notre Dame and Alabama would, too.

Penn State is the in-state school, it’s just over two hours from Singleton’s house, and the coaching staff is working hard on the Governor Mifflin running back, so that would make a lot of sense as well. The Nittany Lions are also doing well with in-state prospects in the 2022 recruiting cycle, so that could also influence Singleton.

Those three feel like the leaders and then Wisconsin and Alabama are also in that top group. The Badgers speak for themselves: Singleton knows he’s going to get tons of carries there, in an offense that’s focused on pounding the ball behind an offensive line filled with monsters who are preparing for the NFL.

And Alabama is Alabama, even after getting a commitment from four-star Emmanuel Henderson, who might even switch positions once he gets to Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide have a long list of running backs on the list with Branson Robinson, Kaytron Allen and others.

Singleton has taken visits all over the country and has already seen more than a dozen schools in person. Of the four remaining schools on his top nine that haven’t been mentioned yet, Michigan is the only one Singleton has seen in person. The Wolverines have a shot at him, but there are other targets as well and the four-star is not planning an official visit to Ann Arbor at this point.

Texas A&M, Auburn and Northwestern are also battling for him, but they feel like long shots at this point.