Penn State safety KJ Winston looks back on freshman season
Year one is in the books for Penn State freshman safety KJ Winston. The former four-star prospect played in 12 games for the Nittany Lions this season and recorded 16 tackles and a tackle for loss. He ended the year on a high note, playing a season-high defensive 20 snaps in the Rose Bowl win over Utah with Jaylen Reed sidelined with an injury.
“Everything was great,” Winston said of his first year on campus. “Coming in with guys like coach [Anthony Poindexter] and the guys that I was around on my recruiting visits, it was all that I expected. I expected to come into a culture with guys that would look out for me. Guys that would get each other better. Coach Dex was the same guy throughout the whole recruiting process. It was everything I expected, I feel like I made the right decision.”
Winston was a fixture on Penn State’s special teams
Most of his work during the season came on via special teams. Winston and classmate Cam Miller both burned redshirts by playing ample reps in the third facet. Earlier this year Penn State head coach James Franklin pointed to former Nittany Lion Nick Scott as a blueprint for Winston and Miller, who got valuable experience while getting light reps at their position.
Winston feels that the involvement will pay off as he tries to move up the depth chart.
“I feel like is going to play a great role in my future. Playing on special teams, being in that role to learn how the game goes. Being with coach Dex, learning from great guys like Ji’Ayir Brown, Keaton Ellis, Jaylen Reed and Zakee Wheatley, will make my game better. Just being able to go out there and be on the special teams and make plays, that’s going to help my all-around game out even more.
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“I improved a lot just in knowing the game and things like that. Coming here, I thought football was go out there and play. [This year] I learned a lot more about what to expect, what the next move is, and thinking about the next move, how it’s going to happen, and things like that. I learned a lot more.”
Winston looks to break into safety rotation in 2023
Following the departure of Brown, Penn State has some reloading to do in the secondary ahead of the 2023 season. Winston hopes to slide into the rotation as a sophomore and he spent the fall impressing some others in that room.
“In practice, KJ Winston has really shown flashes in practice. He can be great,” said senior safety Keaton Ellis. “We’ve got a great group. We have so much depth and we can all play. It’s going to be a competitive battle all the way through and we’re all going to get better from that. I think we all can be in that position to be that leader and all do it. To have the depth that we have and be able to play, it makes it hard for other teams.”
