Tag: Keaton Ellis

Penn State football: Injury report roundup

Let’s get all caught up on the Penn State injury situation during the bye week

Penn State has the week off, but we have seen a whirlwind of events transpire these past few days, especially on the injury side of the Nittany Lions. Penn State has been lucky enough to have a very limited injury report this season. However, that wasn’t the case last weekend against Iowa.

Penn State once again without a pair of notable players vs Ball State?

What notable Penn State players were not in pads for pregame warmups?

For the second striaght week, it is looking as though Penn State will be without a couple of players expected to play some notable roles on the roster this season. According to media reports coming in from Beaver Stadium by way of Twitter, safety Keaton Ellis and running back John Lovett are not in pads during the pregame routine, a suggestion that both players will not play once again for the Nittany Lions this week.

Ellis and Lovett did not travel with the team for the season opener ar Wisconsin last week, but no official update had been given detailing their status. Penn State head coach James Franklin does not typically dive into injury updates, so it is unknown just why either player has been unavailable for the Nittany Lions.

Without Lovett in the lineup, supposing that is the case, Penn State’s running game will continue to be led by Noah Cain on the majority of the running opportunities, which would have been the case anyway.

Penn State’s secondary was just fine last week against the Badgers with Jaquan Brisker and Tariq Castro-Fields leading the way. The absence of Ellis may not have a significantly major impact on the outcome of Penn State’s matchup with Ball State, but it will be nice to see Ellis eventually be ready to get in the mix whenever that may be.

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Penn State traveled to Wisconsin without a couple of key players

Running back John Lovett and safety Keaton Ellis among the Penn State players who did not travel with the team to Wisconsin

Penn State football is back with the long-awaited season opener today in Madison, Wisconsin against the Wisconsin Badgers. But the season will start later for a small handful of Nittany Lions players who did make the trip for undisclosed reasons.

Running back John Lovett and safety Keaton Ellis are among the players who did not make the trip to the Big Ten and season opener, according to Joe Juliano of The Philadelphia Inquirer, via Twitter. Both are expected to be key players to keep an eye on this season, so their absence from the first game of the season is noteworthy.

In addition to the absence of Lovett and Ellis, Penn State also did not bring defensive tackle Hakeem Beamon and offensive lineman Sal Wormley with them to the game.

Penn State does not typically share injury information, and it is unlikely James Franklin will shed much insight on why these players did not make the trip.

2021 Penn State depth chart projection: Safety

The status of the safety position at Penn State is pretty good. Projecting the depth chart in 2021…

The safety position together with the defensive backs assembled in Happy Valley is giving Penn State great confidence in the stability and performance of its defensive secondary. Like the defensive backs, Penn State received terrific offseason news with Jaquan Brisker announcing his decision to return for one more season in the blue and white, giving the Nittany Lions one of the best at his position, not just on the team but in the entire Big Ten and, arguably, the nation.

Brisker’s return was a significant one for the Nittany Lions. Having the luxury of having a talent with early NFL draft round projections gives Penn State a valuable asset in the defense. And like the defensive backs bringing back Tariq Castro-Fields, this allows Penn State to work the roster a little bit to address some other possible areas of concern with regard to depth and playmakers.

Penn State will be led with senior players at the safety position no matter who gets paired with Brisker, and the future of the position is already looking to be in solid shape.

So, with all of that in mind, here’s a look at how the safety position may pan out for the Nittany Lions this fall.