In today's continuation of our 2023 Top 25 countdown for Penn State, we move to the defensive side of the ball to highlight safety, KJ Winston,
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The Hyattsville (MD) native was a four-star recruit in the 2022 recruiting cycle, ranked as the fifth-best player in the state of Maryland, and a top-25 safety in the country. He had over 20 total scholarship offers in his recruitment, including Boston College, Maryland, Michigan State, Ole Miss, North Carolina State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia.
The 6-foot-2, 204-pound is entering his sophomore season with the Nittany Lions after playing in 12 of Penn State's 13 games as a true freshman last fall. In those 12 games, he made most of his impacts on special teams but did see time at safety as well, recording 94 total snaps while totaling 16 tackles, including 11 solo tackles and one tackle for a loss. He graded out well, according to Pro Football Focus, with a 91.2 run defense grade and a 90.0 tackle grade.
This fall, Winston Jr. is competing to become a firm piece of Penn State's two-deep in the safety room. He'll look to fill out a two-deep that includes the likes of Keaton Ellis, Jaylen Reed, and Zakee Wheatley. Tyrece Mills and Mehki Flowers are also competing to be a part of the Nittany Lions' two-deep at the position.
Winston is a violent hitter who never shies away from contact, the type of player fans love watching on the field. Also showed strong play recognition skills coming out of high school and played a great "center field" as well, skills that should translate well to the college level now that he's expected to have a much bigger role.
Overall, the Maryland native firmly falls in the "breakout" candidate territory for the Nittany Lions.
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