Penn State football safety KJ Winston has been named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, the conference announced Monday. The honor came after Penn State’s dominant 34-12 win over West Virginia.

Winston, Penn State’s first player to receive the honor since Ji’Ayir Brown in 2022, recorded 12 tackles, a career-high. Through a week’s worth of games, Winston ranks No. 16 in the nation in tackles and No. 22 in solo tackles with seven. He also registered a forced fumble in the first quarter.

Penn State’s secondary, led by Winston and fellow safety Jaylen Reed, was instrumental in stopping the Mountaineers on offense. West Virginia recorded 246 total yards, with 161 coming through the air.

About the Author

Joe Lister

Joe, shockingly, was Onward State's managing editor from 2024-25. It was an honor. He's off employed doing journalism things, hopefully. If you want to complain about anything he's ever written, you can find him on Twitter (iamjoelister), email (jlister2021@gmail.com), or Signal (iamjoelister.93).

How Centre County Voted In The 2026 Midterm Elections

Centre County saw a 55.32% voter turnout rate in the general election.

Man Accused of Stealing Vehicle From State College Hotel & Driving Drunk

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for November 12.

‘Blood In The Water’: Penn State Football Cornerback Audavion Collins & Secondary Elevating Surrounding Units

“He does a good job of making everyone else around him better because he’s the hardest-working guy on the field at all times.”