No. 2 safety in 2025, cousin of Penn State defender sets visit date

Penn State football has earned the reputation as “LBU,” but the Nittany Lions are building a case to be known as “DBU” as well. Since bringing Anthony Poindexter into the fold, Penn State has produced several NFL-caliber safeties. Now, the Nittany Lions are looking to build upon this success with the current roster, and continue the momentum for years to come. Penn State may be close to landing one of the top defensive backs on the recruiting circuit, as Kainoa Winston, the No. 2 safety in the class of 2025 and cousin of Nittany Lions starting safety KJ Winston, has set a visit date for late January.

Kainoa Winston set to visit Penn State football

Under the leadership of Anthony Poindexter, safety has become a position of strength on the already elite Penn State defense. Finishing his third year with the program, Poindexter has already had two safeties, Jaquan Brisker and Ji’Ayir Brown, selected in the first 100 picks of the NFL Draft. Both Brisker and Brown have gone on to have early success in the NFL.

That type of production would make Penn State football an intriguing destination for any defensive back rising through the high school ranks. So, it’s not surprising to see that Kainoa Winston, the No. 2 safety in the class of 2025, has decided to take a visit to Happy Valley on January 20. Winston will visit State College one week after taking a trip to North Carolina.

4⭐️ S Kainoa Winston, the No. 2 S in the Class of 2025, will visit North Carolina this weekend before visiting Penn State next weekend, via @TomLoy247 🏈

PROFILE: https://t.co/UfitYEMLYj

STORY: https://t.co/TgMNwZZ3td pic.twitter.com/KWXIvsGHRz

— 247Sports (@247Sports) January 10, 2024

Out of Gonzaga in Washington DC, Winston is the No. 26 overall player in the class of 2025, according to 247Sports. He brings an elite level of speed to the table, owning the Gonzaga school record in the 200-meter dash at 21.58 seconds.

That talent has already translated well to the football field. “A new-age defensive back prospect with the straight-line speed to help combat modern passing attacks,” writes 247Sports Director of Scouting Andrew Ivins. “Flies around the field and can get outside the numbers with ease.”

No. 2 safety in 2025 can follow in the footsteps of cousin KJ Winston

It likely won’t be too difficult for Kainoa Winston to envision what it’s like to play safety for Penn State football. Winston’s cousin, KJ Winston, has cemented himself as one of the stars of the Nittany Lions defense heading into 2024.

KJ Winston burst onto the scene in his first year as a starter in 2023. The rising junior led the Penn State defense with 61 tackles on the season, including a team-best nine against Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl.

Winston has positioned himself to become one of the leaders of the Penn State football program in 2024. During the season, Anthony Poindexter touched upon Winston’s development in his first two seasons in Happy Valley.

“He started to come on last year towards the end of the season,” Poindexter said. “And he’s made the jump that you would think [with] the amount of reps he got last year to this year. Each week, you can just see this kid getting better and better. He’s starting to feel comfortable being out there. He really knows the game plan. No one outworks him. No one cares more than him. He’s just doing a really, really nice job.”

And now, Kainoa Winston has the chance to follow his older cousin to Penn State. Time will tell if the Winston family will add another top-notch defender to the Nittany Lions roster. But at any rate, this is already shaping up to be one of the more interesting recruitments of the 2025 cycle.

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