Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1531683
1 8 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Junior safety Kevin Winston Jr. earned preseason All-Amer- ica honors and was named a team captain prior to the start of Penn State's 2024 campaign. A 12-tackle performance against West Virginia on opening day only served to intensify the buzz that was building around the Nittany Lion defensive standout. However, just days after that win over the Mountaineers, Winston suffered an injury in practice. He attempted to play in Penn State's home opener against Bowling Green but left the game early in the second quarter and didn't return. Coach James Franklin said in mid-September that Winston had suf- fered a long-term injury and would miss a significant amount of playing time. As it turned out, Winston's truncated performance against the Falcons in Week 2 was his last with the Nittany Lions. He ended up having surgery and did not see action the rest of the season. Winston has since decided to forgo his final year of college eligibility in order to enter the NFL Draft. A former four-star prospect from Columbia, Md., Winston was seen wearing a large brace over his right leg in early No- vember, but he has still not disclosed the nature of his injury. He played an off-field supporting role during the College Football Playoff, and at one point during Penn State's victory over Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl, he was seen on the sideline giving junior quarterback Drew Allar a pep talk. Winston recently talked to reporters about his injury and his role with the Nittany Lions this year. QUESTION: How has your recovery been going? We haven't seen you in a while. WINSTON: "I just had to go home for a little bit. I wasn't able to do much. I wasn't able to move. It was going to be hard being at school and trying to move around, so I was just with my family for a little bit, and then I came back." QUESTION: Did you know right away that the injury was probably going to impact your season long-term? WINSTON: "When it happened, it didn't feel right. I'm very in tune with my body, and when I tried to keep going, it wasn't feeling right. In that Bowling Green game, I tried to play through it, and you know, I felt it again in the game, and I was like, I know something isn't right. We had the proce- dures, got the X-rays and everything, and the rest is history." QUESTION: Once you had the procedure done, it sounds like there was no chance that you would be able to return this year. WINSTON: "Unfortunately, yes, that's what it was." QUESTION: How did you handle the adversity of this season, and why was it important to get back and be a part of this team during the College Football Playoff? WINSTON: "It was so hard for me. I never expected to play my first game and then get hurt the next week in practice. "But I had to come back. My motivation was to be there for my teammates and be a leader on this team, whether I'm on the field or not. I had to commit to that and make sure I'm here when [we're] on the sideline. When guys get frustrated, I've got to be there to calm them down. Or when the energy is low, I've got to be there to lift it up. "That's what I owe the team. I love these guys, and they love me back. And I feel that genuine love all the time. That's what they deserve as well." QUESTION: You went over to Drew Allar early in the game against Boise State. What does it mean to you to have the kind of role where you can talk to players and help out even though you're not able to be in the game? WINSTON: "It feels amazing. … They respect me, and I made sure I earned that respect with how I worked in the summer. From the moment I got here, I made sure I earned it, because I can't tell somebody to do something if I don't have that respect. "And, you know, Drew Allar, I respect him, and he respects me. I like to make sure he stays cool and keeps his cool, because as long as Drew Allar is good, we're all going to be good." QUESTION: What's the timeline for you as you get ready for the next level? WINSTON: "Right now, I'm just getting rehab in. I'm go- ing to get back to jogging soon. I'm just taking it day by day to get back on my feet." Sitting Down With Junior Safety Kevin Winston Jr. Winston ended up playing only 74 snaps in what would turn out to be his final season at Penn State. He announced in December that he was entering the NFL Draft. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL