Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1505736
1 4 S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Kevin Winston Jr. Will Make An Impact In The Lions' Secondary RYAN SNYDER: There's no shortage of potential break- out choices ahead of the 2023 season. On offense, I wouldn't be surprised if we see one of the younger tight ends emerge alongside juniors Tyler Warren and Theo Johnson. I'd even go so far as to say that redshirt sophomore Khalil Dinkins is one of the most underrated athletes on the roster. In addition, the wide receivers room has no shortage of potential breakout candidates. But I'm looking to the defensive side of the ball with my pick. Winston, a sophomore safety from Columbia, Md., is going to open some eyes this fall. As a true freshman last season, Winston received 114 snaps on defense. While his total wasn't nearly as high as some of the team's other top players, like fellow defensive backs Ji'Ayir Brown (679) and Kalen King (557), Winston earned a very strong grade from Pro Football Focus, placing fourth out of the 45 PSU players who earned snaps on defense last season. With an overall defensive grade of 79.5, Winston actually received higher marks from PFF than Brown, a future third-round NFL Draft pick who totaled a 78.7. Listed at 6-foot-2, 204 pounds, up 5 pounds from the start of his freshman campaign, Winston has added some great weight during the offseason and is earning strong reviews from sources, one of whom told BWI that he's been "as con- sistent as any player in the program." The Nittany Lions return plenty of talent at safety, but Winston may very well have the highest ceiling of anyone in assistant coach Anthony Poindexter's room. Harrison Wallace III Looks Ready To Elevate PSU's Passing Game GREG PICKEL: Penn State has placed numerous star play- ers on the watch lists for postseason awards. The Nittany Lions have likewise seen their share of players earn preseason All- Big Ten and All-America nods. Those names are well known, from sophomore running back Nicholas Singleton to junior defensive end Chop Robinson and junior cornerback Kalen King. But many other members of coach James Franklin's 10th Penn State team have not risen to that level yet. Those are the ones who could be under-the-radar surprises in 2023. Wallace is my pick to emerge from that group this fall. The redshirt sophomore wide receiver from Montgomery, Ala., has seemingly been forgotten amid the buzz that has been building around junior KeAndre Lambert-Smith, sophomore Omari Evans and redshirt senior Dante Cephas, the latter having transferred from Kent State. There's no reason to throw shade on any of those players, of course; their ceilings are high, too. But Wallace has tremendous athletic upside and feels like the perfect pick when choosing a player who is ready to enjoy the kind of statistical breakthrough that few see coming. I expect him to have a big year in 2023 and go from an under- the-radar player to a well-known commodity in the Big Ten. At 6-foot-1, 194 pounds, he's added some mass without losing his speed. The extra muscle, combined with the natural ability that fans glimpsed last year when he caught 19 passes for 273 yards, puts him in position to impress this fall. He's made some fantastically athletic catches during open prac- tices. Now, it's time for him to do it in Beaver Stadium. What Under-The-Radar Player Is Going To Surprise Penn State Fans In 2023? Point – Counterpoint Winston has impressed PSU's coaches throughout the offseason after a true freshman year in which he played in 12 games and made 16 tackles. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE As a redshirt freshman last fall, Wallace ranked seventh on the team with 19 catches, totaling 273 yards and 1 touchdown. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE