Penn State Football is gearing up for the 2024 season. However, even though they have their full attention on winning games this fall, they are still trying to assemble a roster for years to come.
On Friday, the program received terrible news that they would not be getting one of the best defensive players in the 2025 class, and he would be heading to one of their biggest conference rivals instead.
BREAKING: Four-Star Safety Kainoa Winston has Committed to Michigan, he tells me for @on3recruits
The 5’11 195 S from Montgomery Village, MD chose the Wolverines over Penn State, Oregon, & North Carolina
“I’m A Michigan Man!”https://t.co/XlnJ7bnce2 pic.twitter.com/RLWoSr4PI0
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 14, 2024
According to Hayes Fawcett from On3.com, Four-Star Safety Kainoa Winston has committed to Michigan. Fawcett stated that Winston chose Michigan over schools like Oregon, North Carolina, and Penn State.
Where Penn State Football Goes after Losing Kainoa Winston
Per 247sport.com, Winston is from Washington, DC, the third-ranked safety and 43rd overall player in 2025.
From 247sports.com, the Nittany Lions have 14 hard commits in 2025, and none are at safety, so they will need to figure out a plan for that position.
Even though Penn State and Michigan have a little bit of a rivalry, they will not see each other for the next two years unless it’s in the Big Ten title game or College Football Playoff due to the expansion of the Big Ten, which added Oregon, USC, UCLA, and Washington.
The Nittany Lions will likely not see Winston until 2026, when the two teams are scheduled to play again in Ann Arbor.
MORE: Revisiting James Franklin’s Biggest ‘What If’ Moments at Penn State
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