Penn State football is undefeated through three weeks this season, but they suffered a major loss in the secondary during their last game against Bowling Green on Sept. 7.
Star safety KJ Winston left that game against the Falcons in the first half, and head coach James Franklin now says that Winston is going to miss significant time, according to Audrey Snyder of The Athletic.
“James Franklin said starting safety KJ Winston is dealing with a ‘long term' injury,” Snyder reported on X, formerly Twitter, during Franklin's post-practice media availability on Wednesday.
Winston is one of Penn State's best players, and he was off to a stellar start to his junior season. During the Nittany Lions' season-opening win against West Virginia, Winston recorded 12 tackles and forced a fumble on his way to Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors. Winston's injury is still undisclosed and he is without an official timeline for a return.
Winston is an NFL Draft prospect with a chance to go in the first round, should he choose to leave State College early after this season. He is one of the top safeties in the nation, and Franklin will certainly miss him securing the back end of the defense.
Penn State football still looking for big breakthrough under James Franklin
Penn State is still yet to make the College Football Playoff since the new postseason format was implemented a decade ago, and 2024-25 represents their best chance yet to compete for a National Championship.
With the new 12-team playoff in place, Penn State has a lot more margin for error than they have had in past seasons, and are currently on the inside track towards cracking the final bracket. Incredibly, the Nittany Lions have finished in the top 12 in the CFP rankings five times since the inception of the bracket.
Penn State has all of the tools to be a playoff team this year as well. The offense looks much better than it has in past years under new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, who came over from Kansas this offseason, and Drew Allar appears to have grown and improved in year two as the starting quarterback. Penn State also has the dynamic running back duo of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen to lean on in the running game.
Even without Winston, the Nittany Lions' defense should still be a very strong unit, and can be elite if Winston is able to return this season. Penn State stifled West Virginia in Week 1 on the road, holding the Mountaineers to just 12 points.
Franklin and company have to navigate a very difficult Big Ten schedule that includes top 25 matchups with Illinois, USC and Ohio State. However, if they can get to 10 wins, Penn State should be battling for a championship in late December.
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