There have been rumors swirling for days about Journey Brown’s health and status for the upcoming season, and Penn State issued a statement late Monday night about the running back.
“Journey Brown is being treated for a medical condition discovered during the offseason and will potentially miss the 2020 football season,” said the school’s statement to Lions247.com, which broke the story Monday.
James Franklin will speak to the media later this afternoon and could have more information on the situation.
Brown, a redshirt junior, had been expected to be potentially one of the top running backs in the country this season after a stellar finish to last season.
Brown set the PSU bowl record for rushing yards when he gained 202 against Memphis in the Cotton Bowl. He topped 100 yards in four of his final five games and scored nine touchdowns in that span.
Big games are nothing new to Brown. At Meadville High School, he set the PA state record for a single game with 722 yards rushing and scored 10 touchdowns in a 107-90 win over DuBois in 2015.
If Brown cannot play, the Nittany Lions likely would turn to sophomore Noah Cain as the lead tailback. Cain got off to a strong start last year before being hampered by an ankle injury.
Cain set the Penn State freshman rushing record with eight touchdowns and topped 100 yards in back-to-back games against Purdue and Iowa.
The Lions also have sophomore Devyn Ford, who ran for 294 yards on 52 carries and scored three TDs last year.
Without Brown, Penn State likely would have some kind of rotation between Cain and Ford.
Freshmen Caziah Holmes and Keyvone Lee also could figure into the mix.
