Tag: KJ Winston Jr

Penn State safety KJ Winston Jr. declares for NFL draft

Penn State safety Kevin Winston Jr. has played his last game in a Penn State uniform.

Penn State head coach James Franklin confirmed this week fans should not expect to see safety [autotag]KJ Winston Jr.[/autotag] make an appearance again in the Penn State uniform during the College Football Playoff. Franklin said Winston is still out with a long-term injury. But that isn’t stopping Winston from taking his next steps in his football journey.

Winston officially announced he is declaring for the NFL draft in 2025, thus leaving behind his college football playing days in Happy Valley for good.

“After much thought and prayer, I’m excited to announce that I’ll be declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft,” Winston said in a post on his Instagram account. “This has been a dream for as long as I can remember, and I’m ready to embrace this next challenge with the same dedication and heart that got me to this point.”

Winston played in just two games during the 2024 season for Penn State. Winston was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts in leading the Nittany Lion defense in a season-opening win at West Virginia. Little did we realize at the time that would be the height of the season for Winston, who left the Week 2 game against Bowling Green early with an injury. Winston has not been back on the field since with what Franklin has termed a long-term injury situation. Some reports have suggested that is a partial ACL tear.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports Winston had surgery but is expected to be at full speed in time for the NFL combine. That would be a huge lift for Winston, who has shown his potential as an early-round draft pick when healthy.

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James Franklin declines comments on two injured Nittany Lions

Andrew Rappleyea was spotted on crutches during Penn State’s Week 2 win against Bowling Green.

Penn State head coach James Franklin had no comments to give on the current status of a couple of young Penn State stars in the making following a victory over Bowling Green. The two players Franklin declined to comment on were tight end [autotag]Andrew Rappleyea[/autotag] and safety [autotag]KJ Winston Jr[/autotag].

Rappleyea appeared on Penn State’s pregame player availability report and was listed as out. He was later spotted on the sidelines on crutches as Penn State was working to defeat Bowling Green by a score of 34-27 on Saturday afternoon. Franklin said the injury to his young tight end was recent and he does not yet know about any long-term timeline for his situation.

Winston, who had a solid Week 1 at West Virginia, was not seen on the field after the first quarter. He was spotted on the sideline with no helmet after coming off the field following a collision with Bowling Green tight end Harold Fannin Jr.

Franklin typically does not comment on injuries regarding his players unless extreme enough to warrant comment. It remains to be seen if either player will return to the field any time soon, so we may have to pay attention to the practice reports and the weekly player availability reports to learn more about them each moving forward.

Penn State will be off next week. The Nittany Lions return to action in Week 4 with a home game against Kent State.

Check out some of the top plays and best photos from Penn State’s Week 2 win over Bowling Green.

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