No. 8 Penn State kicks off its 2020 season in Week 8 with a road trip to Indiana, but the Nittany Lions will be without their top running back Journey Brown. In an announcement late Monday evening, the school announced that Brown will likely miss the entire season with an undisclosed medical condition.
"Journey Brown is being treated for a medical condition discovered during the off-season and will potentially miss the 2020 football season," the statement read.
Brown started 10 games last season, leading the team with 890 yards and 12 touchdowns on 129 carries. He also had a career-high 202 yards in the 53-39 Cotton Bowl win over Memphis, which set a Penn State bowl record. His breakout season came after he rushed for just 44 yards and a touchdown in 2018 while Miles Sanders served as the bell cow running back.
As a redshirt sophomore, Brown is eligible to declare for the 2021 NFL Draft. Brown told reporters during Penn State's media day that he would not be opting out due to COVID-19 because he wanted to play a final season in college before moving on to the NFL. How this medical condition affects that decision remains to be seen.
With Brown out, Penn State will turn to Noah Cain and Devyn Ford to lead the running backs committee moving forward. Cain and Ford combined for 737 yards rushing with 11 touchdowns last season.
