Penn State Receives Brutal Injury News

Getty Image / Scott Taetsch

Penn State got off to a really impressive start to their season when they went on the road and thrashed West Virigina, 34-12. One of the big stars in that game was returning star safety KJ Winston.

Winston, who won National Player of the Week for his standout performance, looked to be headed for a consensus All-American season. But, that’s not going to happen, as he will miss significant time.

Winston was one of Pro Football Focus’s highest-graded safeties in 2023, with a grade of nearly 90 as just a true sophomore. And, he came into this season as one of the stars on one of the nation’s top defenses the last few years. NFL scouts love Winston, too, and he could’ve played himself into first-round contention.

But, after playing just the first few snaps of the teams’s 34-27 win over Bowling Green two weeks ago and not practicing during the bye week, Penn State Head Coach James Franklin revealed that KJ Winston was going to be out for a while at his midweek media availability on Wednesday after practice.

Though James Franklin is notoriously not specific about injuries, that typically means that a Nittany Lion will be out for the season. If that’s the case, that’s a potentially crushing blow for a defense that struggled mightily in the 1st half against Bowling Green without him. Penn State likes to play three safeties, and had one of the nation’s best groups with Zakee Wheatley and Jaylen Reed alongside him.

Now, they will have to have a true freshman, Dejuan Lane play most of those snaps. Lane played most of the game against Bowling Green and will have a game to get ready for Big Ten play against a really bad Kent State team this weekend. But, games against a solid Illinois team at home on September 28 and a really good USC team in Los Angeles on October 12 await. Lane is going to need to be up to speed by then.

Penn State is currently ranked 10th in the AP Poll.