Tag: Jaylen Reed

Penn State won’t have KJ Winston back for College Football Playoff

James Franklin confirms Penn State will be without star safety for the College Football Playoff.

Penn State head coach James Franklin was happy to see his team come out of the Big Ten championship game as healthy as possible despite coming out on the losing end of things against Orgeon. But the Nittany Lions will unfortunately still be without one of its key defensive players for the duration of the College Football Playoff as safety [autotag]KJ Winston[/autotag] was confirmed to be out with his long-term injury according to Franklin this week.

The writing was on the wall that Penn State would make the College Football Playoff this year for the first in [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag]’s tenure, but when they made the Big Ten championship game, the question then became how high of a seed they could be.

While the Nittany Lions lost against Oregon, they were given a favorable path by the committee; facing SMU at home in the first round and then taking on Group of 5 team Boise State if they get past the Mustangs.

This draw might be the best out of any team in the 12-team tournament, including those who received a bye, but ultimately it will come down to what Penn State does on the field.

After the Nittany Lions defense was taken apart by Oregon in the title game, there are some concerns about how they might hold up when facing another team of that caliber.

Someone who would certainly help that unit is [autotag]KJ Winston[/autotag], Penn State’s star safety who was lost with a “long-term injury” after the Bowling Green game, which was the second contest of their season.

Unfortunately, Franklin put that notion to bed.

“We will not get KJ back for this year,” he said per Daniel Gallen of 247Sports. “Like I mentioned before, long-term injury.”

That is a huge blow to Penn State and their chances of winning the national championship this year since Winston was viewed as one of the best safeties in the country and even earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors following the opener against West Virginia when he had 12 tackles and forced a fumble.

The Nittany Lions will then have to keep running out the same secondary unit, led by [autotag]Jaylen Reed[/autotag] and [autotag]Zakee Wheatley[/autotag] on the back end to go with their young corner group.

Wisconsin quarterback Braedyn Locke discusses pick-six vs. Penn State

Wisconsin quarterback Braedyn Locke discusses pick-six vs. Penn State

Wisconsin quarterback Braedyn Locke addressed his pick-six following the Badgers’ 28-13 loss to Penn State on Saturday.

The play, which ultimately proved to be Penn State’s game-winning score, arrived at the 6:35-minute mark of the third quarter. With Wisconsin leading 10-7 and backed up at its seven-yard line, Locke tossed a bullet down the middle to Penn State safety Jaylen Reed.

Reed returned the interception roughly 19 yards to the end zone to push Penn State ahead 13-10 in the third quarter. UW would manage to capitalize on a field goal on its ensuing drive, but that would be Wisconsin’s final points of the night.

Locke spoke on the moment with media members after the game. Here’s what he had to say:

https://twitter.com/ZachHeilprin/status/1850380873322946688

“Gotta make a better decision [and] not throw it to the other team,” Locke emphasized.

When asked if he saw Reed, he confirmed that he saw the defensive back as the play developed. The pass appeared to be intended for tight end Tucker Ashcraft.

Locke finished the game with 22 completions for 217 passing yards. Wide receivers Will Pauling and Vinny Anthony combined to reel in 15 of those completions for 147 receiving yards. Through seven games, Locke has passed for 1,281 yards and seven touchdowns.

UW’s next game is slated for Nov. 2 against the Iowa Hawkeyes in Iowa City, Iowa.

Backup QB Beau Pribula saves the day as Penn State remains undefeated

Despite losing key players to injuries, Penn State came away with a big win to remain undefeated.

For the second game in a row, Penn State was in a situation where it needed to claw together a way back for a victory. Fortunately for the Nittany Lions, this time they didn’t have to overcome a double-digit deficit as they did two weeks ago against USC, but this come-from-behind victory at Wisconsin took a few more bumps and bruises to get there. [autotag]Beau Pribula[/autotag] filled in for an injured Drew Allar in the second half to help guide Penn State to a 28-13 victory in Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday night. With the win, Penn State remains undefeated going into November and a massive game next week against Ohio State in Beaver Stadium.

Allar left the game at the end of the first half after suffering an apparent knee injury. Allar warmed up before the start of the second half but did not play, giving way to Pribula to run the offense and forcing offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki to adjust his playcalling a bit. Pribula played well by completing 11-of-13 pass attempts for 98 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 28 yards.

Penn State trailed at halftime, 10-7, after a strong defensive showing by both teams in the first 30 minutes. It was the Penn State defense that gave the Nittany Lions the lead for good when safety [autotag]Jaylen Reed[/autotag] picked off a pass from Wisconsin’s Braedyn Locke in the third quarter and returned it 19 yards for a go-ahead touchdown, which put Penn State up 14-10 at the time. Penn State went on to build a 28-13 lead with two more touchdowns by the offense in the fourth quarter. Pribule completed a touchdown pass to a wide-open [autotag]Khalil Dinkins[/autotag], who was running uncontested across the back of the Wisconsin end zone. [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] padded the lead on the next offensive series with a 24-yard touchdown run to put the game on ice.

The status of Allar will be key in the coming week as Penn State prepares for Ohio State. But Penn State has another key injury to watch as well. Defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton also left the game in the first half and did not return after a brief series to start the second half of the game. Dennis-Sutton had a groin injury late in the first half.

Penn State will be home next week for the biggest game of the season. Penn State hosts Ohio State next Saturday for a noon kickoff on Fox. The game will be a top-five showdown after the Buckeyes escaped an upset bid at home earlier in the day against Nebraska. It will be just the second top-five matchup between the two schools in series history.

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Penn State takes lead over Wisconsin with clutch defensive touchdown

Jaylen Reed’s pick-six could not have come at a better time for Penn State.

Penn State was reeling heading into halftime of its game against Wisconsin, dealing with injuries to defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton and star quarterback [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag]. Those injuries combined with a 10-7 deficit heading into the locker room created an uneasy feeling for Penn State fans across the country.

The offense was not going anywhere to start the second half with backup QB [autotag]Beau Pribula[/autotag] in for the injured Allar, but the defense was holding strong. After another failed drive, the defense was asked to stop Wisconsin once again and give the ball back to the offense.

Instead, they did them one better. Wisconsin QB Braedyn Locke dropped back near his endzone and fired a pass over the middle right into the waiting arms of safety [autotag]Jaylen Reed[/autotag]. Reed returned the interception all the way back for a go-ahead touchdown.

Penn State’s defense has been up and down in this game, but Reed stepped up when the team needed it most and made the huge play. They allowed a few big plays on the following drive that led to a Wisconsin field goal, but overall they have kept Penn State in the game despite the offense failing to get going so far.

Beau Pribula and the offense will have to find a way to get more points on the board if they want to win this game, but the defense has allowed them to play with a lead. With the ground game being Pribula’s strong suit, that could be the difference between winning and losing this game.

Trio of Penn State’s finest named mid-season All-Americans by Senior Bowl

The Senior Bowl highlighted these three Penn State standouts as midseason All-Americans.

Three of Penn State’s top players are spending their off week receiving some national attention for their performances on the field. The Reese’s Senior Bowl announced its midseason All-Americans this week, and it included three Penn State football players; tight end [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag], running back [autotag]Nicholas Singleton[/autotag], and safety [autotag]Jaylen Reed[/autotag].

Singleton has rushed for a team-high 434 yards and has scored three rushing touchdowns this season. He has also added 113 receiving yards and 3 receiving touchdowns to his stat sheet so far this season. He also pulled off those numbers in five games after missing the home game against UCLA two weeks ago. Singleton is second on the team in total yards from scrimmage with 547 yards and leads the team with six all-purpose touchdowns.

The only player with more yards from scrimmage this season for Penn State has been Warren, who has 551 total yards from scrimmage. Warren leads the Nittany Lions with 513 receiving yards after a massive day catching the football in an overtime win at USC last weekend. Warren accounted for 224 receiving yards against the Trojans, which is the second-most in a single game in program history, and he tied the FBS record for most receptions in a single game by a tight end (17).

Reed is Penn State’s leading tackler so far this season with 39 total tackles, with 20 solo tackles, and 19 assists. Reed also has 1.5 sacks and one interception. Reed has also forced a fumble and recovered a fumble this season.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DBKj_6yubWY/

Penn State is off this week but will return to action in Week 9 with a road game at Wisconsin. That game has been designated for a primetime matchup on NBC.

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Not even Mother Nature can slow down No. 9 Penn State in 34-12 win over West Virginia

Penn State starts off the 2024 season with a win with help from the entire roster.

Open on the road? No problem. Overcome a two-hour weather delay? No sweat.

Not even Mother Nature could slow down the momentum Penn State established in a season-opening road win at West Virginia on Saturday. No. 9 Penn State (no. 8 in AP top 25) turned in a dominant performance to leave Morgantown, West Virginia with a 34-12 victory over the Mountaineers and it included contributions from all around the roster.

After a scoreless first quarter, Penn State took command in the second quarter with a 20-point burst before halftime. [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] connected for three touchdown passes, including a pair to [autotag]Harrison Wallace III[/autotag]; [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] scored the other in the second quarter. The first half was highlighted by the Penn State defense seemingly getting the wrong end of a botched instant replay after an apparent fourth-down stop, but holding West Virginia to a field goal in the final minute of the half to cut Penn State’s lead to 13-6.

But the offense turned it around with a big pass from Allar to Omari Evans and the second of Wallace’s touchdown catches seconds later to take a commanding 20-6 lead into halftime. [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] found an opening and exp[osed it with a 40-yard run for a touchdown to open the third quarter to give Penn State a 27-6 lead.

It was not until early in the fourth quarter when West Virginia scored a touchdown. Of course, this may have been another example of poor officiating and questionable replay procedures as the Fox cameras seemingly showed that West Virginia running back CJ Donaldson appeared to be short of the end zone before getting the ball across the line. The play stood with no challenge and [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag] and [autotag]Tony Rojas[/autotag] met in the backfield to disrupt a two-point conversion attempt by West Virginia quarterback Garrett Greene.

And then the waiting game began. Severe thunderstorms rolled through the area during halftime and delayed the start of the second half by a little more than two hours. Once play eventually resumed, Penn State’s offense picked up right where it left off with a touchdown on the opening drive of the half. Penn State would respond later in the fourth quarter with a final knockout blow when [autotag]Beau Pribula[/autotag] connected with tight end [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag] for a score minutes later.

Allar passed for 216 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 44 yards on six carries, a number of them picking up first downs along the way. Wallace III led the receivers with 117 yards and two touchdowns. Warren ended the day with three catches for 30 yards and a score, catching all three of the passes targeted for him in the game.

After having just one 100-yard game a season ago, and having to wait until the final game of the regular season, [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] started the year on the right foot with 114 rushing yards. Singleton had a pair of 40-yard runs in the game.

Carter’s defensive stats won’t impress anyone checking just the box score, but he drew some double-team coverage on multiple occasions, usually allowing someone else on the defensive line to make a big play. Rojas ended the game with 1.5 sacks and [autotag]Kevin Winston[/autotag] led the Nittany Lions with 12 total tackles. [autotag]Jaylen Reed[/autotag] broke up two passes and forced a fumble.

Penn State completed the two-game home-and-home series with West Virginia, continuing its winning tradition against their former longtime regional rival. Penn State is now 50-9-2 all-time against West Virginia. Unfortunately, there are no additional future games on the books between these two schools at this time.

Next up for Penn State is the home opener next Saturday. Penn State will host Bowling Green from the MAC for another noon kickoff in Week 2. Bowling Green is coming off a 41-17 victory over Fordham to open its season. Next week’s game will air on Big Ten Network.

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13 Penn State players appear on Senior Bowl watch list for 2024

A large number of Penn State players are on this year’s Senior Bowl watch list.

Penn State has historically been productive when it comes to manufacturing talent for the next level in the NFL, and this year’s roster is not short on potential NFL talent. One of the highlights of the draft cycle is the Reese’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, which invites the nation’s top seniors to participate in one of the premier scouting events outside of the annual NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis. An invite to the Senior Bowl is cherished and must be earned, and is a sign of the respect the NFL draft and scouting community holds for a player. It is a great tryout in front of the NFL world and can dramatically impact a player’s draft stock.

The Senior Bowl released its watch list of players for the upcoming season, and Penn State was well represented with players that could eventually be invited to participate in the top senior all-star game leading up to the NFL draft.

The full list of Penn State players appearing on the watch list includes:

  • [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag], QB
  • [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag], RB
  • [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag], DL
  • [autotag]Dani Dennis-Sutton[/autotag], DL
  • [autotag]Julian Fleming[/autotag], WR
  • [autotag]Kobe King[/autotag], LB
  • [autotag]JB Nelson[/autotag], OL
  • [autotag]Jaylen Reed[/autotag], DB
  • [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag], RB
  • [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag], TE
  • [autotag]Kevin Winston Jr.[/autotag], DB
  • [autotag]Sal Wormley[/autotag], OL
  • [autotag]Nolan Rucci[/autotag], OL

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Best photos of the Penn State Nittany Lions at 2024 Big Ten media days

Check out the photos of Penn State at 2024 Big Ten media days.

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin and select player representatives spoke to gathered media members on Wednesday afternoon at the 2024 Big Ten media days.

Franklin was the last coach to speak at the podium on Wednesday. He went in-depth on the three new coordinators that he brought in this year and what they’ll bring to the table to help Penn State reach its goal of making the college football playoff.

Related: Where Penn State lands in USA TODAY Sports 2024 Big Ten football preseason poll

He also completed a segment with the Big Ten Network and a non-televised smaller presser before it was the players’ turn to take the stage. Penn State defensive end [autotag]Dvon J-Thomas[/autotag], safety [autotag]Jaylen Reed[/autotag] and tight end [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag].

The three-day event, which ends Thursday, marks the true beginning of the 2024 season, as programs will begin to start fall camp in a couple of weeks.

Before the Nittany Lions open training camp, here is a look at Franklin and three of Penn State’s leaders representing the team at the expanded Big Ten media days:

Penn State’s junior safety could see more playing time this year

Is Zakee Wheatley ready for a bigger role in Penn State’s defense in 2024?

There aren’t very many spots on Penn State’s defense where they don’t have to address departures, but safety is one of them.

[autotag]Jaylen Reed[/autotag] and [autotag]KJ Winston[/autotag] were the two starters on last year’s team who didn’t rotate out very often and that’s expected to be similar this season as well.

But that doesn’t mean there won’t be opportunities for others to find themselves on the field in those spots based on different points of the game, or worst case scenario due to injuries.

Having backups ready to contribute is paramount for elite programs across the country and it seems like the Nittany Lions have someone ready to step into that role.

According to Tyler Donohue of 247Sports, [autotag]Zakee Wheatley[/autotag] has impressed during spring practices after being in third year of his transition from cornerback to safety with [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] saying “the light’s gone on for him” and he’s had “by far” his best offseason workouts (subscription required).

An interesting thing for Penn State’s secondary will be how it operates under new defensive coordinator [autotag]Tom Allen[/autotag] who is looking to implement a “Lion” role that has one of their safeties closer to the line of scrimmage.

Early comments from Allen suggest that Reed could be getting the majority of the snaps at the “Lion” position.

That could put Wheatley into deep coverage where he has excelled during practice.

In fact, Donohue notes that no player has come away with more takeaways than Wheatley.

Because of the unknown, it should be expected that the redshirt junior sees much more playing time this season after only logging around 250 snaps last year.

Penn State transfer CB A.J. Harris is impressing teammates early

The early indications are sounding positive for Penn State transfer cornerback A.J. Harris this spring.

Penn State’s secondary is going to look a whole lot different in 2024-25 after they lost three of their starting cornerbacks to the NFL draft.

There will be internal candidates who get opportunities to replace the departures, but [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and his staff recognized the unit might be a bit thin if they don’t hit the transfer portal for immediate help.

They were able to get some very high-profile names by landing two players leaving SEC schools.

[autotag]A.J. Harris[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen Kimber[/autotag] were major additions for the Nittany Lions after they decided to leave Georgia and Florida.

Early returns from both players have been positive with Kimber likely factoring in for playing time more this season because of his age and experience, but that’s not stopping the hype from building around Harris.

The former five-star recruit and No. 2 cornerback in his class decided to transfer to Penn State after doing tons of research on the team and program.

“When we got on the phone with him, he had done his homework. He knew our roster. He knew the coaches. He had watched our film, studied our film, looked at the data, where we were ranked, how we played defense,” Franklin said according to Daniel Gallen of 247Sports.

While that impressed the coaching staff, Harris is also turning heads of his teammates with his play on the field.

“I feel like, personally, A.J. Harris is one of them ones, you know? I feel like A.J. Harris, he’s a stud, man. He’s a great player,” safety [autotag]Jaylen Reed[/autotag] told Gallen. “Just the way he plays the game of football and … his preparation is insane.”

That is about as good of news as the Nittany Lions could have hoped for when landing the former coveted recruit.

Harris will be part of Penn State for the next couple years based on eligibility remaining, and he could become an important part of this secondary.

There’s a chance he could even factor in during this upcoming season.

“I feel like he’s gonna do great things for us this year,” Reed added.

It will be interesting to see how everything sits coming out of spring practice, but the feedback on Harris has been great so far and it looks like the Nittany Lions might have found themselves a gem in the portal.