Kevin Winston Jr. entered his junior season at Penn State as a preseason All-American and potential first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. However, his season, and ultimately career in college football came to an abrupt end when he injured his knee during practice ahead of the Nittany Lion’s Week 2 contest against Bowling Green.
Winston played a few snaps in Week 2, but exited the game and was ultimately ruled out for the season with a partially torn ACL. Despite missing the year, the junior safety has declared for the 2025 draft ending his tenure as a Nittany Lion, but since that decision, he’s returned to the program.
After his injury, Winston was away from the team, rarely seen on the sidelines on gamedays, but that’s exactly where he was on New Year’s Eve as Penn State punched its ticket to its first-ever College Football Playoff semifinal with a 31-14 win over Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. And while he can’t contribute on the field, he’s doing whatever he can to help his team.
“It was so hard for me,” Winston, told reporters following the win. “I never expected to play my first game and then the next week in practice I was going to get hurt. But you know, I had to come back. Starting this season off, my motivation was to be there for my teammates and be a leader on this team, no matter 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 and guys get frustrated. I got to be there to calm them down.”
He continued, “Or, you know, the energy is low. I got to be there to lift it up. And that’s what I owe to them. I love these guys, and they love me back. And I feel that genuine love all the time. And that’s what they deserve as well.”
After its first-round CFP win over SMU at Beaver Stadium, James Franklin commented that Penn State is a “real college football program,” in reference to Dom DeLuca’s rise from a walk-on status to CFP hero with two interceptions in that game. However, Winston’s return to the sidelines when he could be rehabbing and preparing for his NFL career is another example of what he means.
In a college football world where players are quick to head for the transfer portal at the first sign of turbulence, and rosters constantly churn every offseason, Franklin has cultivated a culture of consistency. Even Winston, how does have one foot out the door after his NFL declaration, wants to see this season through to the end. Now, the Nittany Lions are not immune to the modern troubles of the sport, the Beau Pribula saga taught everyone that, but that consistency might be the perfect formula for the expanded 12-team CFP era.
Franklin’s philosophy may not yield a national championship this year, and that may never come, but Penn State will be in the mix because his “real college football program” has been immune to the bad losses that have ailed some of the other top teams in the country.