Penn State football: What’s the latest on TE Pat Freiermuth?

Penn State football star tight end Pat Freiermuth went out with an injury on Saturday and never returned to the field.

It didn’t take all hands on deck for Penn State football to smoke their opponent on Saturday. After hanging nearly 80 points on the Idaho Vandals, it was clear that the Nittany Lions’ backups probably could’ve done tons of damage to Idaho’s first-team all afternoon.

That’s not how college football gets played though. For the Lions’ starters, this was their first set of real action since the spring, when they scrimmaged each other. While we expected a blowout, last season’s opener told us everything we need to know about not taking opponents lightly. Therefore, the Lions had to come out and put a spanking on the Vandals to feel good.

Unfortunately, in games that become meaningless like this one, injuries can occur. The objective for Saturday’s game (and every game moving forward) is for Penn State to not only win on the scoreboard but also to come away from the game completely healthy.

Being that football is such a physical sport; coming out of a game fully healthy is never a guarantee. While the Lions were fortunate enough to remain in good shape, for the most part, their star tight end did have to leave the game early and ended up never returning to the field.

What’s the latest on Pat Freiermuth?

Before halftime, the Nittany Lions were attempting to put another six points on the board. They were on Idaho’s side of the 50 but weren’t quite close to the red zone. Quarterback Sean Clifford saw an opportunity to squeeze the ball in a tight window to his tight end, but the pass was slightly off. Being a high-effort guy, Pat Freiermuth attempted to reach for it.

In the process, he took a shot to the head that probably should’ve been flagged. It didn’t get reviewed, nor called, but the Lions ended up paying for it big time. Freiermuth was slow to get up, and he immediately got evaluated for what’s expected to be a head injury.

The Nittany Lions headed to the locker room after knocking in a field goal, and when they returned for the second half, Freiermuth just remained on the sidelines without a helmet. With the score being out of reach for Idaho, there was no reason to throw the star tight end back into the mix. His afternoon was finished as he had one reception for 25 yards.

After the game, Penn State head coach James Franklin took on some questions regarding the tight end’s status. According to The Athletic’s Audrey Snyder, Franklin dodged a question regarding Freiermuth’s health. When asked if the tight end could’ve returned or not depending on the score, Franklin responded by saying he won’t get into specifics of injuries.

Seeing the score, it made total sense for Freiermuth to sit out for the remainder of the game. The fact that Franklin declined to comment on the injury was slightly concerning — but at the same time, they might still be running some tests on the tight end.

For what’s it worth, Freiermuth did return to the sidelines suited up in the second half and was pictured smiling with his teammates throughout the game. So the injury doesn’t look too serious as of right now. We’re just waiting for the full update, which should come this week.