Penn State injury updates: James Franklin reveals team's health status entering Wisconsin game

The Penn State Nittany Lions are coming off a bye week before returning to conference play against the Wisconsin Badgers. It’s a game that head coach James Franklin knows he’ll need all hands on deck for.

While speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Franklin shared an update on the team’s health. While he didn’t get into specifics for any individual player, he did share that the Nittany Lions’ health is improving as a whole and he feels they’re in good shape.

“I think for the most part we’re in a pretty good position,” James Franklin said. “We’ve had some of that kind of throughout the season. We kind of had an initial wave of issues. Kind of got through it, and from that point on, I think we’ve been in pretty good shape.”

Injuries are, of course, something that football teams always need to deal with throughout the course of a season and Penn State has been no exception. Star safety KJ Winston Jr., tight end Andrew Rappleyea, and running back Cam Wallace are all dealing with long-term issues. Meanwhile, Quarterback Jaxon Smolik, defensive end Zuriah Fisher, and linebacker Keon Wylie have also been dealing with their own injury issues.

Other Nittany Lions have been banged up and either missed some time or have appeared to be playing through discomfort. That notably includes star running back Nick Singleton. Beyond Singleton, linebacker Dominic DeLuca has had a brace on his right hand while Tony Rojas has missed snaps. Offensive linemen Anthony Donkoh and guard Sal Wormley have also missed time.

Beyond those injuries, there have been positives. James Franklin shared that at this point in the seasons a major key has been younger players developing and improving this season.

“I think, also, we’ve got some guys that are developing, that are coming on,” Franklin said. “Whether it’s Max [Granville], [Jaylen] Harvey, or Quinton [Martin], or Corey [Smith] there’s guys who are coming along at some positions. Dakaari [Nelson’s] development at the linebacker position. All those things have been important.”

Last week was the second of two bye weeks that Penn State had in 2024. The Nittany Lions will begin a stretch of six games to wrap up the season with their road trip to Wisconsin on Saturday. From there, Penn State will return home for a massive game against Ohio State. By that time, James Franklin will hope to be as healthy as possible.