Penn State Football RB Journey Brown’s season in doubt

Penn State football’s top running back Journey Brown could miss the 2020 season

Penn State running back Journey Brown could miss the 2020 season due to a medical condition.

Lions247 reported the news Monday night, citing a statement released by the program:

"“Journey Brown is being treated for a medical condition discovered during the off-season and will potentially miss the 2020 football season,” the statement said. PSU is slated to open its 2020 season at Indiana Oct.24 (3:30 p.m. Eastern, FS1)."

Brown was the projected starter this season after rushing for 890 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2019. He had a record-breaking performance in the Cotton Bowl against Memphis when he rushed for 202 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries.

The redshirt junior was rising up draft boards and was projected to go as high as the second round in the 2021 draft.

Penn State will go forward with a rotation of sophomores Noah Cain and Devyn Ford, and freshmen Caziah Holmes and Keyvone Lee at running back.

Cain scored eight touchdowns last year, while Ford averaged 5.7 yards per carry. It’s unclear if Ford will be available at the beginning of the year, due to a possible suspension.

Holmes and Lee were both 4-star recruits out of the state of Florida in the 2020 cycle. Holmes has particularly received a lot of off-season hype, especially after the team made him the first offensive player since Saquon Barkley to wear #26.

Despite the depth, losing Brown is a big loss to Penn State’s offense, and there can certainly be a morale blow to the team seeing a teammate unable to play due to a situation like this.