Penn State safety KJ Winston played like one of the best safeties in the country to start the season during PSU’s 34-12 win against West Virginia.
The conference took notice, donning Winston with Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors. West Virginia looked to exploit PSU’s secondary early and broke a few runs to the second level. Winston slammed the door on all opportunities.
B1G Defensive Player of the Week 🦾@B1GFootball x @KevinWinstonJr1 pic.twitter.com/wtNZn2RJOs
— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) September 2, 2024
The junior defensive back from Columbia, Maryland, recorded 12 tackles and a forced fumble. Winston stripped WVU quarterback Garrett Greene on a QB scramble in the first quarter, but the Mountaineers recovered. A few plays later, Winston stopped Greene short of the sticks on 4th and 1 inside the 20 and forced a turnover on downs.
His 12 tackles tied a career-high set against Michigan last season but set a new career-best record with seven solo tackles. His strong tackling and physicality were on full display. It’s apparent from the opening drive on that Winston, like quarterback Drew Allar, is playing with increased swagger and confidence after starting all 13 games last season.
Winston and fellow safety Jaylen Reed combined for 21 tackles. Penn State dubbed Reed its Defensive Player of the Game on Sunday. An All-Big Ten honorable mention in 2023, Winston asserted himself in run defense and coverage snaps around the box and downfield. His growth and maturation in new Tom Allen’s defense could lead to significant stability in the secondary and stabilize an up-and-down secondary from a year ago.
Penn State hosts Bowling Green in the 2024 home opener Saturday at noon.
