James Franklin hoping to bring clarity to recent Penn State football injuries

The Penn State football team saw multiple players exit the Kent State game early with apparent injuries this past Saturday. However, it’s unclear how severe the injuries suffered are. We hope to learn more about those individuals (Dom DeLuca, Cam Wallace, and Abdul Carter) on Wednesday night when James Franklin speaks to the Nittany Lion media.

Starting with team captain and linebacker Dom DeLuca who went into the locker room during the first quarter against Kent State. Our staff at Basic Blues Nation captured DeLuca back on the sideline without his helmet on Saturday. He did not return to the game. That could’ve been precautionary since Penn State football was in control for the entire game, or it could be something more serious.

Penn State LB Dom DeLuca, who went into the Nittany Lions' locker room during the 1st quarter, is now back on the sideline without his helmet

— Basic Blues Nation (@BasicBlues) September 21, 2024

The second injury which appeared to be the most severe during the game against Kent State occurred in the fourth quarter for Penn State’s running back Cam Wallace. The redshirt freshman’s leg was trapped under a defender, and he could not walk off the field on his own power.

This led to a heartwarming moment where Amin Vanover and Hakeem Beamon charged onto the field to carry Wallace to the sidelines. He did not return to the game either.

Cam Wallace's teammates helped him off the field following an injury ❤️ @PennStateFball #B1GFootball on @BigTenNetwork 📺 pic.twitter.com/wx1jiBU9h4

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) September 21, 2024

Last but arguably most important, Abdul Carter appeared to limp off the field during his final series against Kent State. The BTN broadcast crew caught Carter’s limp and even followed him on the sideline until he sat on the bench. Carter’s injury certainly could’ve been more prudent than a specific injury.

Franklin provided a generic update on Monday

Syndication: Hanover Evening Sun

James Franklin has followed a similar talk track week to week with the injuries on his team. He was asked on Monday about the status of both DeLuca and Wallace but did not get into specifics.

“I typically don’t have these answers for you guys in this press conference,” Franklin said. “We need time to evaluate the injuries, and we need time to have conversations with these kids and their families before I’m going to say something to you guys about it.

“…I typically won’t have this type of information for you guys on Monday again, because we need to totally evaluate the injuries and sometimes you’re talking about MRIs and X-rays and a ton of things go into that. ”

Now, that a few days have passed we are hoping that Franklin has had the time to have those conversations, and we will have continued coverage on this if we learn more.

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