Cam Wallace injury update: James Franklin shares severity for Penn State RB

After suffering an injury in the final game of the non-conference schedule, James Franklin felt it was the right time to share an update on Penn State RB Cam Wallace.

Franklin opened his press conference to start this week with the latest on Wallace. He said that the redshirt freshman running back will be out for the foreseeable future with a “long-term injury”.

“I did want to follow back up with you guys on Cam Wallace. It’ll be a long-term injury so he will be out,” said Franklin. “That answers that question for you guys.”

This comes after Franklin was asked about Wallace in the postgame press conference this past weekend.

Wallace had the injury to his left leg in the final quarter against Kent State two weekends ago. After trying to walk off on his own, he needed assistance off of the field. He was then carted back to the locker room.

Through two games, Wallace totaled 18 carries for 63 yards and a touchdown. That was third among backs on the roster behind the Nittany Lions’ main two rushers in Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen.

With this, though, Franklin used it as an example to explain why he doesn’t always share health information right away with the media. He didn’t feel as though it was right to speak on that immediately with the press or ask a player like Wallace if it was fine for him to do as he wants to focus more on their well-being first.

“I kind of want to talk about this process a little bit. I try to be very, very respectful of the student-athletes, you know, and specifically their health. Sometimes, you guys ask me and, to be honest with you, I almost didn’t have the answer today. It was going to have to wait until Tuesday because sometimes, you know, as you can imagine, if it’s a long-term injury and they’re going to be out, it’s a significant injury,” Franklin said. “I don’t want my first conversation to be can I talk to the media, you know? I’d like to kind of, you know, support the kid, you know, for at least 24 to 48 hours and sometimes 72 hours.”

“I don’t want my first conversation to be about answering media’s questions. I get that you guys need the information and you want the information but that’s why. Does that make sense?” said Franklin. “That’s why I’m not answering it right away is because I want to be respectful of the kid. I want to have a conversation with the kid. But I also don’t want that to be the first conversation I have with the kid is about talking to the media. Does that make sense everybody?”

With that settled, Penn State will now be without Wallace for some extent of his second season in Happy Valley.