Kevin Winston Jr. was 7 years old and in his first season of playing tackle football with one slight problem – he was afraid to tackle. KJ would let ball carriers run past him and then jump on their backs to try to bring them down.
One year later, his father and coach offered him stern advice. Kevin Sr. told his son to run through somebody and tackle him as hard as he could.
His son finally did. “He said, ‘Dad, it didn’t hurt,’ ” his father recalled. “From that point, he was knocking people’s helmets off and doing very well.
” KJ Winston has gone on to become one of the surest tacklers in the country and one of the bedrocks of the vaunted Penn State defense. At 6-2 and 205 pounds, Winston is the only Nittany Lion ranked among the top 50 players in the country by Pro Football Focus, He’s been projected as a first- or second-round draft pick next year. The guy who was fearful as a child is a fierce tackler who led Penn State in that category last year.
He’s especially effective against the run. “That’s just something I’ve been good at since I was a little kid playing for my father,” Winston said. “He told me, ‘Hit ’em in the mouth and they won’t come back.
’ Stuff like that. “He’s always talked about physicality. Having that at a young age, then through high school and now in college, it’s just how I play football.
” Winston is one of six starters returning from a defense that allowed the fewest rushing yards in the country and the second-fewest total yards. He accounted for 61 tackles, three takeaways and five pass breakups. Defensive coordinator Tom Allen was on the opposing sideline last year as the Indiana head coach when the Lions rallied to beat the Hoosiers 33-24 and held them to 80 rushing yards on 34 attempts.
“The thing that stuck out to me was his size and his speed, which creates range,” Allen said. “He’s one of those guys who I thought was a really good player on film. Then you watch him warm up and you’re like, ‘Dang, he’s a good looking dude.
’ “He’s big. He’s well-proportioned. He’s twitchy for his length.
He can flat out burst and close.” His father describes Winston as “cut from a different cloth.” He knew he wanted to attend DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Md.
, when he was in fifth grade. He knew he wanted to go to Penn State when he was in seventh or eighth grade after playing in an all-star game there. Rated a consensus four-star prospect, he played in 12 games as a freshman in 2022 before he became a starter last season.
He made seven tackles against Ohio State and 12 against Michigan and received All-Big Ten honorable mention. Winston begins this season as a team captain and a candidate for the All-Big Ten first team and All-American teams. “He’s a man, he really is,” Penn State coach James Franklin said.
“He’s so mature. He really knows how to practice, how to prepare. He’s totally locked in.
He’s totally focused. Football is really important to him. “I don’t have enough adjectives for him.
You look at him physically, he’s beautiful. He has a great relationship with the coaches. He’s kind of an extension to the coaching staff.
I could go on and on and on.” Winston will be on the field often with his two buddies, Jaylen Reed and Zakee Wheatley. Winston and Wheatley likely will be at safety and Reed at the Lion, a hybrid position combining linebacker and defensive back.
“We’re all just natural, smart athletes,” Winston said. “We work off each other in a great way. I’d say our relationships off the field allow us to go out there and be that way.
“We’re so connected that when we go out on the field we’re talking to each other like we’re sitting at dinner communicating plays to each other. It doesn’t feel awkward.” Winston has emerged as one of the most vocal leaders on the defense, if not the team.
He holds his teammates to the same high standard he holds himself. “He might be the most impressive guy that I’ve seen,” Allen said, “in terms of understanding, taking care of his body, how he approaches every walk-through, how he approaches every jog-through, how he practices every single day. “He’s a pro.
He’s a pro who’s on a mission. He’s a hungry guy. He’s extremely hard on himself.
He’s extremely hard on his teammates, which is a great thing.” According to Pro Football Focus, Winston missed just 2% of his possible tackles, which was second among all safeties last season. He finished as the only safety to earn 85-plus grades as a run defender and in pass coverage.
Yet he’s not satisfied. “There’s so much to improve in my game,” he said. “I really want to be way better in man coverage.
I wasn’t bad, but I want to be even better. I want to be able to play dudes like I’m a corner. “Then I’d just say getting some turnovers out there.
Making plays on the ball. That starts in practice.” Kevin Winston Sr.
was an All-American defensive end at James Madison. He underwent back surgery before his senior year, which kept him from playing in the NFL. He’s hoping his only son can play at a level he didn’t.
“It’s amazing,” the elder Winston said. “There’s still a season that has to be played at a high level. If you are that first- or second-round draft pick, the expectations don’t get lower.
The competition doesn’t get easier. “I just know how much he sacrificed and how much he loves the game, how much he studies the game. He’s a way better person than a football player.
That’s all I can ask for.”.
