When it was first announced that star second-year wide receiver Koby Howard would miss Week 4 with an injury, he took to social media to post a picture of Darth Vader recovering in a bacta tank with the date of the Michigan game in Week 7: 10/17/2026.
Well, that game has come and gone, and Howard has still not gotten back on the field. Even after Penn State’s Week 8 bye, he was sidelined, along with fellow wide receiver Chase Sowell, in the 31-17 Week 9 win over Purdue. Now, heading to Washington in Week 10, Sowell is trending in a positive direction, but every time head coach Matt Campbell talks, it feels as though Howard’s return is getting further and further away.
“I would say very limited in terms of what he’s done,” Campbell told reporters at his Wednesday availability regarding Howard’s involvement on the practice field. Howard began practicing last week and was listed as questionable in the midweek availability report ahead of the Purdue matchup; now, a week later, his status is the same.
“It’s why I keep saying the word questionable,” Campbell continued. “I think we’ll know a lot more by the time we get through tomorrow’s practice of what his availability would be… I think he’s way above where he probably should be, to be quite honest with you, in terms of the actual timeline of this injury, so that’s why we’re going to be 100% smart and try to make the perfect call when he’s available.”
Well, that doesn’t sound great. Not only is Howard still limited, but whatever this undisclosed injury is, it is seemingly very serious, considering we’re already six weeks, going on seven, out from when he suffered it against Buffalo in Week 3.
Unless Matt Campbell is playing coy, Koby Howard may not be close
On the one hand, Campbell and this coaching staff have very little incentive to rush Howard back onto the field. The season hasn’t gone to plan, so there are no College Football Playoff implications tied to this final stretch of the season, and with the eight-year, $70.5 million contract he signed to leave Iowa State this offseason, there is no job pressure whatsoever.
On the other hand, Campbell may have chosen his words wisely when saying that they’ll know a lot more about his potential availability after Thursday’s practice, given that Big Ten availability reports are released on Wednesday night, and that way, if Howard is likely to return, he can still cast significant doubt over whether or not Washington defensive coordinator Ryan Walters should be game-planning for an offense with or without No. 6.
That would seemingly be out of Campbell’s character to hold his cards so close to the vest, but this week’s trip to Seattle is arguably the toughest remaining test for Penn State down the stretch, with Minnesota, Rutgers, and Maryland left in Weeks 11, 12, and 13. Keeping Washington guessing could have some value, though Penn State’s offense has morphed significantly since Howard last played in Week 3, so it’s hard to say even offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser knows what it will look like with Howard healthy.
This is speculation, not reporting, but it feels most likely that this injury is just very serious and is taking Howard a long time to recover from, and it may not happen this week. This would be a bit of a surprise, considering Howard set the expectation that he could return for the Michigan game, though he likely assumed there would be some major implications for that one, not just trying to end a Big Ten losing streak.
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