Penn State's top running back could be sidelined for the 2020 season.
In a statement released to Lions247 on Monday night, Penn State confirmed that Brown “is being treated for a medical condition discovered during the offseason and will potentially miss the 2020 football season.”
Brown was Penn State's leading rusher in 2019, ranking second in the Big Ten in yards per carry (6.90), third in rushing touchdowns (12) and fifth in total rushing yards (890). In a deep backfield in which he shared carries with three other running backs, Brown ultimately emerged as the star, rushing for more than 100 yards in four of Penn State's final five games of 2019, including a 202-yard game in the season-ending Cotton Bowl win over Memphis.
Now, however, it appears Brown's health could keep the potential All-Big Ten back off the field this fall.
That would leave the Nittany Lions – projected to be Ohio State's top competition for a conference title once again – without one of their biggest stars on both sides of the ball for the 2020 season, having already lost linebacker Micah Parsons when he chose to opt out of the season and begin preparing for the 2021 NFL draft.
If Brown remains sidelined, Noah Cain (who had 443 yards and eight touchdowns on 84 carries in 2019) and Devyn Ford (who had 402 yards and five touchdowns on 116 carries in 2019) are likely to be Penn State's top two running backs this season. The Nittany Lions also added two more four-star running back recruits in their class of 2020 in Caziah Holmes and Keyvone Lee.
