Penn State to alter safety plans with injury to Kevin Winston Jr.

Penn State’s secondary took a massive hit Wednesday night, with coach James Franklin confirming star safety Kevin Winston Jr. will be out with a “long-term” injury.

As Winston is one of the nation’s top safeties, a Penn State captain and one of the most valuable Nittany Lions on the roster, his production will be virtually impossible to replace. But that’s exactly what Penn State must do.

Winston racked up 13 tackles and a forced fumble through just over five quarters of play before limping off the field against Bowling Green. Luckily for Penn State, the 6-foot-2, 208-pound DeMatha Catholic product will remain around the team and has continued his high level of leadership, as Franklin and others mentioned Wednesday.

“Even though he’s hurt, he’s still there with us. The spirit, the impact is all still there,” defensive tackle Coziah Izzard said. “The energy during practice, the things he says in terms of leadership, it’s all still there.”

Penn State’s staff spent a lot of the offseason planning around having three veteran and talented safeties on the field, with Winston flanking Zakee Wheatley at true safety spots and Jaylen Reed playing the “Lion” role, a nickel cornerback that is also often tasked with playing more physically against the run.

Reed flashed instantly as the Lion in Week 1 against West Virginia, gathering nine tackles (one for loss) and two pass breakups. When Winston left against Bowling Green, Reed had to slide back to the true safety spot, with junior cornerback Cam Miller slotting in at Lion when necessary.

That’s likely the path forward for Penn State in the immediate future, but freshman Dejuan Lane — already “green-lighted” to burn his redshirt — is an X-factor in what the Lions can do on defense in the long term.

He’s the obvious next man up behind Winston, but like most of the other safeties on this roster, he simply lacks experience at the position. Lane has played mostly on special teams in both games to start the season.

Franklin also mentioned freshman Antoine Belgrave-Shorter, listed as a cornerback on the roster, will get some looks at safety in wake of Winston’s injury.

“I think we’ve talked a decent amount about DaeDae Lane, so that’ll have a huge impact on him and the reps that he’s getting and where he’s at,” Franklin said. “And then we’re trying to kind of figure out that next guy right now. There are a ton of guys that are going to get some opportunities, but we have not figured that out yet.

Reed still played well at the true safety spot with 10 tackles against Bowling Green. He said after the win that he’s comfortable at both safety positions and Lion. But it’s clear Penn State would prefer to have him at Lion most often.

Franklin said his size (6-0, 212) allowed Penn State to use its nickel package against both third-down, pass-heavy offenses and larger, base offensive formations. If the Lion is Miller, more traditionally sized for a corner at 6-foot and 184 pounds, Penn State may have to run standard packages with three linebackers against larger formations.

“(Lion) was a great position for (Reed), but we may not have the flexibility to be able to do it,” Franklin said. “I think early on, you’re probably going to see him high but hopefully as DaeDae and others start to come on, then hopefully as the year goes on, we can move him back into that spot.”

Miller has played nickel cornerback in the past alongside plenty of work on the outside, so playing Tom Allen’s version of the role isn’t entirely new and didn’t require any major changes in his body or routine.

“The instincts take over, honestly. You just get to play more instinctively,” Miller said Wednesday. “Everything happens much faster because you’re close to the box. You just gotta be ready to trigger in the run game.”

Still, it’s going to be a major adjustment to replace a player as good as Winston. And it may take some time for Penn State to figure out the right combination in its defensive backfield.

“I think Cam’s skill set playing inside brings a lot to the table, and at times, he looks really good inside,” said Justin Lustig, Penn State’s special teams coordinator who also coaches nickels. “Jay Reed has played a lot of football here, Cam Miller’s played a lot of football. Those two guys communicate well when they’re on the field.

“I don’t think we missed a beat with Cam playing the Lion position and moving Jay Reed back, however, it does make you a little bit thin in the back end.”