Penn State Football Injury Update: Good News for the Nittany Lions

Here's a look at where Penn State stands on the injury front as it prepares to host FIU in Game 2 on Saturday at Beaver Stadium.

Defensive end Zuriah Fisher could return vs. FIU

This is good news for the Nittany Lions, who played without two expected contributors at the position. Franklin had positioned Fisher, a sixth-year senior, as a starter alongside Dani Dennis-Sutton and potential breakout player this year. But Fisher, who missed last season with an injury, was declared out for the opener.

Franklin said that Fisher expected to play vs. the Wolf Pack, but the coaching staff held him out for precautionary reasons. Fisher had missed practice time late in training camp and last week.

"But my point is, I think that explains how close he is," Franklin said. "He's close to being back, and it will be significant getting him back. You guys know how I feel about him."

Franklin didn't sound quite as certain that defensive end Mason Robinson, who also was out for the game, would be back as soon. Robinson did not play last season after redshirting in 2023. "Hopefully we'll get Mason Robinson back," Franklin said. "He's an older player that we'd be excited about getting back into the rotation, too, and I think there's a chance of that."

In their absences, Penn State played two true freshmen often at defensive end. Freshmen Chaz Coleman got 22 snaps, third-highest among edge rushers, and fellow freshman Yvan Kemajou played 19.

There was no word from Franklin regarding cornerback Zion Tracy, who did not play on Penn State's defense vs. Nevada. Tracy, the projected starting nickel cornerback. was listed as questionable on the pregame injury report. Cornerback Kenny Woseley Jr. started at the nickel spot and ultimately led all defensive players with 34 snaps.

Welcome back to these Nittany Lions

Four key Penn State players who had sustained season-ending injuries in 2024 returned against Nevada. The most exciting was Wallace, the running back who carried the ball five times for 19 yards and landed that hurdle on a swing pass from quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer.

Wallace sustained a significant set of injuries against Kent State in Week 3 last season and did not play again. He had been Penn State's No. 3 running back and appears to have reclaimed the role this year.

"It sure was nice to see Cam," Franklin said. "First time he touches the ball, he makes a big time play. Very proud of him, because there's a physical, mental and emotional aspect of coming back from that type of injury. So it was pretty cool.

"We were all talking about him and the run he had and how excited everybody was for him. So I called him and I told him that. I had him on speakerphone, and everybody in my basement started yelling for him, and he was feeling really good about himself. And then I just said, 'Well, relax, they're not going to induct you into the College Football Hall of Fame after one catch.'"

On the same series as Wallace's play, tight end Andrew Rappleyea caught his first pass in a year and ground out 26 physical yards for a first down. Rappleyea was headed for a big year in 2024 before getting injured after the opener vs. West Virginia. His healthy return shapes Penn State's options at tight end.

"Everybody talks about [sophomore tight end Luke Reynolds], and deservedly so," Franklin said. "But you probably wouldn't have saw Luke Reynolds last year if Rap didn't get hurt, because we probably would have redshirted Luke. So here we are again with three really good tight ends."

Defensive tackle Alonzo Ford Jr. returned from a late-season injury to start alongside Zane Durant and play 14 snaps. And linebacker Keon Wylie, who missed the 2024 season with an injury, played 23 important snaps for a defense looking for depth at linebacker.

One more injury note: Franklin said that running back Quinton Martin Jr. did not play after he "tweaked something" and missed nearly two weeks of training camp. Martin was cleared to return before Penn State began its game-week prep for Nevada and did not appear on the pregame availability report.