Penn State receiver Peter Gonzalez dealing with ‘long-term’ injury, James Franklin says
STATE COLLEGE — Penn State freshman receiver Peter Gonzalez is dealing with a “long-term” injury, head coach James Franklin said on Tuesday night. The first-year Nittany Lions from Pittsburgh had received praise throughout his first summer in town, but that recently came to a halt due to the undisclosed setback. Franklin called the injury “not short-term” and said Gonzalez will be “out for a little while.”
“Peter has got a long-term injury,” Franklin said. ‘Not short term, I guess I would describe it. So, he’ll be out for a little bit, just so you guys know and you’re not asking me every week, when you don’t see him out there. He’ll be out for a little bit.”
No other details were provided. However, this is not Gonzalez’s first long-term injury. He also suffered a torn ACL in high school back in 2022.
Gonzalez had a quick start with the Nittany Lions
Back at Big Ten Media Days, Franklin offered his pre-camp thoughts on the former three-star who signed in the Class of 2024 and arrived on campus this summer.
“I do know Peter came in and tested really well,” Franklin said. “He’s one of our bigger wide receivers. He jumped really well. He ran really well. He’s like 205 pounds right now. He’s a big, physical athlete.”
In June, Head Lions strength coach Chuck Losey praised Gonzalez and his Pittsburgh Central Catholic teammate, linebacker Anthony Speca.
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“We got two guys that just got here a couple of weeks ago, and it’s been Speca and Gonzalez, and I’m really impressed with their foundation coming out of high school,” he said “They’ve jumped right into it, and they’re ready to go. If you would watch one of our sessions right now, you wouldn’t know that these have only been on campus for a couple of weeks. So I’m really impressed with them.”
Franklin said Tuesday Penn State has dealt with other ‘bumps and bruises’ at a few positions this month. He singled out the backup running backs and also tight end Khalil Dinkins specifically in addition to the long-term injury update on Gonzalez.
Background on Penn State receiver Peter Gonzalez
Here is what BWI wrote about Gonzalez coming out of high school:
“Central Catholic doesn’t allow its students to graduate early, which means Gonzalez won’t be on campus until May or June. Because of that, a redshirt season feels likely, but it’s no secret that 1) the Lions need help at wide receiver and 2) if ever there’s a position a freshman could contribute at, it’s receiver.
Gonzalez proved last summer that he’s excellent athletically – he ran a 4.49-second 40 and a 4.2-second shuttle. He’s also a bright individual, so we’re not concerned about him learning the playbook. He won’t have much time to get up to speed before preseason camp, but he has the tools to at least contribute on special teams as an underclassmen.”
