FOOTBALL

‘Seeing the game differently’: Sophomore safety shows breakout potential for Penn State football

Rising sophomore KJ Winston could be ready to make a splash in Penn State’s secondary this season.

Published

5 months ago

April 19, 2023

Penn State Football, breakout potential, safety KJ Winston

Jan 2, 2023; Pasadena, California, USA; Utah Utes tight end Logan Kendall (32) runs the ball against Penn State Nittany Lions safety Kevin Winston Jr. (21) in the second half in the 109th Rose Bowl game at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — For better or worse, the 2023 season for Penn State will be defined by new faces and young depth players stepping into elevated roles. Nowhere is this more emblematic than in the Nittany Lion secondary. While the room is filled with veteran leadership and playmaking ability, Penn State’s safeties will be tested this year. Gone are stars like Jaquan Brisker and Ji’Ayir Brown to lead the way in the defensive backfield. But during Saturday’s Blue-White Game, sophomore safety KJ Winston showed that he has the breakout potential Penn State football needs this season.

KJ Winston flashes breakout potential in Blue-White Game

If you follow Penn State football recruiting, you’ve likely been waiting for KJ Winston to make his mark. A former four-star prospect, Winston was a top-ten player in Maryland coming out of DeMatha Catholic in 2022. As a true freshman, Winston quietly burned his redshirt last season. Appearing in 12 games, Winston recorded 11 solo and 16 total tackles in 2022.

As a recruit, Winston showed physicality and raw athletic ability, making evaluators excited about what he could do at the next level. During Saturday’s Blue-White Game, that talent flashed for really the first time at the collegiate level. Second on the team with six total tackles, Winston was one of the first players mentioned by James Franklin, noting that he was “flying all over the field.”

Winston didn’t appear surprised by his performance when we spoke with him after the game. “My main thing was to do my job and trust my teammates to do theirs. That’s what we always preach,” he said. “So, I felt like I did that. I played at full speed, played fast, and the results were what they were.”

Penn State football needs to find a star safety this season

The secondary was one of the strengths that led Penn State to the Rose Bowl last year. That’s to be expected for a unit with soon-to-be NFL Draft picks like Joey Porter, Jr. and Ji’Ayir Brown (and future NFL talent Kalen King) leading the way. But this year poses a new challenge for Manny Diaz and Anthony Poindexter. Like Porter last season, King is expected to lock down one side of the field for the Nittany Lions. Whether or not the secondary continues to play at an elite level depends on everyone else.

A critical component of this 2023 defensive will be the ability of another defensive back to rise up and display breakout potential. Like Saturday, KJ Winston’s speed and aggressiveness could help him do just that. “I feel like the physicality I can bring to the secondary and just being a competitor [is what he can bring to the defense],” Winston said. “I feel like that’s the main thing. Just being a competitor back there to help the team out.”

Winston also noted that the mental aspect of his game has taken a step forward this year, which has helped improve his play on the field. “I think just knowing what I’m doing and knowing what the offense is trying to do to me and seeing it before it happens,” Winston said when asked what he has improved since last season. “So, I feel like that’s what allowed me to make a lot of plays. Because last year, I was just going out there and playing ball. Now, I’m seeing the game differently.”

If Winston can continue his growth from the end of last season and spring into the summer, then he possesses all the skills to be one of the standouts on the Penn State defense in 2023. But even without a returning star like Brisker or Brown, the Lions’ defensive backfield isn’t expecting a dropoff in play this season.

“…we just want to make each other better and compete,” Winston said. “Everybody looks at each other the same. We all want to compete. No matter who it is, we know whoever’s on the field is going to make a play.”

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation. Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and insights on your favorite Penn State athletics. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email us at [email protected] or direct message us on our social media. It’s due to your support that we can become one of the market’s fastest-growing Penn State sports outlets!

Related Topics:Featured KJ Winston Manny Diaz Nittany Lions Penn State Penn State football

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FOOTBALL

Penn State football defenders respond to statement performance

The Penn State football defense sent a statement to everyone in the country last night with their performance.

Published

2 hours ago

September 24, 2023

Morgan Chapman

Penn State football, Adisa Isaac, defensive unit, Manny Diaz

Penn State's Adisa Isaac celebrates after recovering a fumble during a White Out football game against Iowa Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, in State College, Pa. The Nittany Lions shut out the Hawkeyes, 31-0.

The Penn State football defense has been elite early on this season. Against Illinois, they forced five turnovers including four interceptions. Then, last night on the national stage the defensive unit shut out Iowa 31-0. They also caused another four turnovers last night, all came from forced fumbles. So, that’s 9 turnovers caused in the past two games, Manny Diaz has this group dialed in. After the game, we caught up with Adisa Isaac and others who shared their thoughts on this statement performance.

Penn State football defenders respond to statement performance

Defensively, Penn State allowed 76 total yards of offense, total domination from start to finish. Iowa finished the night averaging 1.2 yards per rushing attempt. This unit understood the assignment on Saturday night and they took care of business. We asked Adisa Isaac about his thoughts on this statement performance.

Isaac said, “We have a dominant defense. That shouldn’t be no secret but I feel like we just showed in a shutout against a ranked opponent that we have some stuff that’s flowing and it’s only going to get better.”

He wasn’t the only one. After the game star linebacker, Abdul Carter tweeted “BEST DEFENSE IN THE COUNTRY!!!! #WEARE.”

It shows the energy and the confidence that this unit is starting to play with. It’s at the perfect point in the season for Manny Diaz to have this defensive unit firing on all cylinders. As for Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, he will have to pick up the pace on his lofty goal of scoring 25 points per game. After the Penn State loss, Iowa is only averaging 21.25 points per game.

The pass rush got home

One of the questions James Franklin was asked earlier this week surrounded the topic of lack of stats from star defenders. One of those players was potential 2024 first-round pick Chop Robinson who picked up his first sack of the season. This was also a strip sack where Robinson caused a turnover. Amin Vanover and Adisa Isaac also collected sacks against Iowa last night.

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation. Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and insights on your favorite Penn State athletics. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email us at [email protected] or direct message us on our social media. Also, be sure to check out our new site shop. It’s due to your support that we can become one of the market’s fastest-growing Penn State sports outlets!

FB RECRUITING

BREAKING: Penn State football lands 4-star LB, top 100 player nationally

Penn State lands top 100 nationally ranked linebacker DJ McClary after the whiteout weekend.

Published

5 hours ago

September 24, 2023

Morgan Chapman

Penn State football, DJ McClary, 2025 recruiting

Sep 23, 2023; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin shakes the hands of invited recruits upon the team’s arrival prior to the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-USA TODAY Sports

The whiteout is one of the biggest weekends for the Penn State football team. Not only because of the game that was played. But arguably more importantly, it allows Penn State to showcase its greatness to recruits. The atmosphere, the fans, the community, all of these elements factor into a player’s decision to commit to Penn State. James Franklin made sure that he thanked each player and parent after the game as well for making it to State College. Now, DJ McClary has made his decision to join the 2025 recruiting class for the Nittany Lions.

Penn State football lands 4-star LB, top 100 player nationally

Earlier this week, a crystal ball was placed by 247sports Brian Dohn for DJ McClary to land at Penn State. Now, McClary has made his decision to play his college football at Linebacker U. McClary is a four-star recruit and he is a top-100 recruit in the 2025 recruiting class according to 247sports composite rankings. He is from Jersey City, New Jersey, and chose Penn State over Ohio State, USC, Tennesee, Michigan, and several other schools.

DJ McClary is currently the 3rd highest-rated player in New Jersey and is a massive addition to the 2025 recruiting class at Penn State. James Franklin is hopeful that this is one of many commitments that will result from the 31-0 victory over Iowa. After watching the defense last night, how would you not want to play linebacker at Penn State?

Re-racking the 2025 recruiting class

After recently losing Jaelyne Matthews to a de-commitment this is how the 2025 recruiting class is shaping up for Penn State. Four-star RB KiAndrea Barker, three-star S Omari Gaines, and now DJ McClary.

The Nittany Lions are optimistic that they can land four-star running back Tiqwai Hayes who will make his decision tomorrow.

FOOTBALL

JUST IN: Penn State football moves up in the latest AP Poll

The Penn State football team has received its next set of rankings in the latest AP Poll.

Published

6 hours ago

September 24, 2023

Morgan Chapman

Penn State foootball, AP Poll, James Franklin,

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar prepares to throw a 3-yard touchdown pass to KeAndre Lambert-Smith during a White Out football game against Iowa Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, in State College, Pa. The Nittany Lions shut out the Hawkeyes, 31-0.

The Penn State football team is coming off one of its more dominating performances in recent history. Defeating the No.24 ranked Iowa Hawkeyes 31-0. Not only did Penn State shut out Iowa, but they also controlled the entire game in all three phases. James Franklin and his coaching staff had this team prepared to go to battle last night and they did just that. Now, that the game is past us, it’s time for the next set of rankings in the AP Poll to be released.

Penn State football moves up in the latest AP Poll

Penn State entered the matchup against Iowa as the No. 7 team in the AP Poll. Obviously, the Nittany Lions took care of business and have shown that they can be one of the best teams in the country. But around the country, many teams held their own.

Ohio State went into South Bend as the No. 6 ranked team. The Buckeyes defeated No. 9 Notre Dame 17-14 on a last-second rushing touchdown. This has boosted their ranking as the Buckeyes are now the No. 4 ranked team. Penn State will get their chance to defeat the Buckeyes on October 21st when they travel to Columbus, Ohio.

This week, Penn State received the No. 6 ranking in the AP Poll. It’s challenging to move up the AP Poll when no chaos occurs ahead of your team. That’s the position that Penn State has found themselves up to this point. But now, with Ohio State and Penn State taking care of business they were able to move up. The Washington Huskies are closely trailing Penn State and they’re certainly another team that we need to keep an eye on moving forward.

Nittany Lions next challenge

Penn State hits the road again next weekend. They will face a hungry Northwestern team. This will be another 11 a.m. central time kickoff for the Penn State football team. James Franklin will need to get his team motivated to play in this next conference challenge. The Wildcats are coming off of an overtime upset victory over Minnesota. The matchup will appear on Big Ten Network (BTN) next Saturday.