Following practice on Wednesday, Penn State head coach James Franklin announced a big injury loss. A junior safety and veteran leader, Penn State defensive star KJ Winston, suffered a “long-term” injury. Winston started the team’s second game of the year against Bowling Green, left with an injury in the first half, and did not return.
The injury to Winston is a huge loss for the Penn State defense, and the team overall. Coming off a strong finish to the 2023 season, he hit the ground running in 2024. Other than potentially Abdul Carter, Winston is both the most important, and most talented, player on the defense. For his efforts in the win against West Virginia, Winston was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. Additionally, his leadership earned him a Captain title in 2024. Fortunately for Penn State, per Franklin, “I don’t think it impacts leadership a whole lot because he’s still going to be heavily involved there.” Nonetheless, the loss is a big one that will challenge the defense, Franklin, and defensive coordinator Tom Allen moving forward.
Heading into the Kent State game this weekend, and the Big Ten schedule following that, there are two burning questions. First, how will Penn State replace Winston’s production? Second, what does long-term mean?
What Does Long-Term Mean?
The answer to that question is almost impossible to know at this point, but it is also critical when projecting Penn State’s chances in the Big Ten. Additionally, there could be College Football Playoff (CFP) implications. When a defensive star suffers a long-term injury like Winston has, it can show how impactful that player is to the defense, and team overall. Franklin would have likely said if the injury was season-ending, and he did not say it was. So, that puts Winston’s injury in the realm of hypotheticals for when he can return. The sooner the better when it comes to the Penn State schedule.
Long-term could mean four weeks. In that case, four weeks from the Bowling Green game puts Winston back in the lineup against USC. He would miss the Kent State, Illinois, and UCLA games. Those should all be wins for Penn State. While impactful, that is not the end of the world for Penn State.
Long-term could also mean six weeks. An additional two weeks during the second bye week would allow Winston to adjust to normal routines and take the field against Wisconsin. The only incremental game missed would be USC. USC will likely be a tough game, but this hypothetical gets Winston back on the field for the home stretch.
If the long-term ends up being ten weeks, it becomes a very different story. That would put Winston on pace to return for the final two regular-season games, against Minnesota on the road, and Maryland at home. He would theoretically miss, in addition to the games above, the Ohio State game, a home game against Washington, and a road contest against Purdue.
Winston would be back in time for the postseason in all of the above hypothetical situations. The postseason can include the Big Ten Championship and the CFP. However, with Winston injured, an already tough road to either of those milestones just got more difficult.
How Will Penn State Replace Winston’s Production?
Winston, due to both his abilities on the field and his leadership qualities, made the Penn State defense go. Heading into the season, the safety position was one of strength for the defense, and Allen was relying on Winston and Jaylen Reed to carry the load. While the strategy was sound and worked, it only lasted about a game and a half before a reset was needed. When a defensive star like KJ Winston suffers a long-term injury, it forces changes to game planning moving forward.
Allen had been running a hybrid 4-2-5 defense, with only two linebackers, and five defensive backs in the base lineup. The skills and performance of Winston, Reed, and Zakee Wheatley allowed Allen to use the lineup with three safeties. The defense should still use this formation at times, with freshman safety Dejuan Lane the most likely to get additional opportunities.
Another option for Allen and the defense is to pivot to more of a traditional 4-3 set with two safeties, utilizing three linebackers. In these situations, the linebacking corp would likely consist of Tony Rojas, Dom DeLuca, and Kobe King. King would be the middle linebacker, getting the play calls from the sideline.
It is going to be difficult to replace what Winston brings to the table in either of these scenarios. Penn State will get their first opportunity this weekend against Kent State. The game is expected to be a tuneup before the Big Ten schedule starts. Because Penn State defensive star KJ Winston suffered a long-term injury, it could be a good opportunity to get players like Lane more playing time to get them ready for a potential Top 25 clash with Illinois the following week.
