Penn State enters Saturday’s game against Purdue with some encouraging signs on the offensive side of the injury report, but not everything is clean yet.
The big headline from the first Big Ten availability report of Week 9 is that both of Penn State’s top receivers are listed as questionable. Chase Sowell, the team’s leading receiver, is questionable for the first time this season. He was already a game-time call before Penn State’s 21-18 loss to Michigan, then responded with 11 catches for a career-high 151 yards.
Sowell met with the media Tuesday in State College and has been the Nittany Lions’ offensive catalyst in Big Ten play. He has 26 receptions for 344 yards and is averaging 96 yards per game against conference opponents, a mark that trails only Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith.
He also has dealt with minor lower-body issues in Penn State’s past two games, though he returned in both. The expectation is that the fifth-year senior will be out there Saturday against Purdue.
Koby Howard’s status is a step in the right direction, even if it still comes with caution. Being listed as questionable is an upgrade after the last four weeks, and it suggests his return is getting closer. Howard, who led Penn State in receptions and yards through the non-conference schedule, has not played since Week 3 against Buffalo.
Penn State coach Matt Campbell said Howard has practiced twice this week and should know more after Thursday’s practice. Still, Campbell made it clear the staff is not rushing him back.
"I’m not putting him on that football field until he’s 100 percent ready to go," Campbell said, adding that Howard's snaps will be limited when he returns. Howard likely will be listed as a game-time decision Saturday, but we don't expect to see him on the field much vs. the Boilermakers.
Campbell also said, "I do think getting Koby back will be a huge asset to our football team," Campbell said. "I think that's why we have to make sure he's healthy and truly ready to play on the football field, making sure we get the Koby you saw the first three games of the season, not a shell of Koby. I think that's part is really important for us."
Penn State’s defensive front has a few names worth tracking as well. Tackle Alijah Carnell is questionable, and end Alex McPherson is also questionable.
McPherson’s situation stands out because his snap count has climbed over the last three games. The Nittany Lions are already thin at defensive end without Max Granville and LaVar Arrington II, who is no longer listed as out.
Arrington has not played this season after undergoing a procedure earlier this season.
On the positive side, safety Jeremiah Cooper is probable after logging only seven snaps against Michigan. Campbell said the two-time all-Big 12 safety had his workload cut back in Ann Arbor after he played heavy snaps in each of the previous three games. Cooper tore his ACL at Iowa State last season, and Campbell wanted to give him some rest with five games left in the season.
Defensive linemen Yvan Kemajou and Armstrong Nnodim are also probable. Nnodim missed the first two games of the season because of a training camp injury but has since become a key player at tackle.
One new name on the Penn State side is safety Omarion Davis, who is listed as out. Davis has not played this season.
Purdue’s short availability list includes one notable name: defensive back Jaden Mangham, who is questionable. Mangham has started six games and recorded 18 tackles.
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The urgency is easy to see from Penn States side. The Nittany Lions still do not have a committed quarterback in the 2027 class after Will Wood decommitted, and Warren would have represented a major addition with the kind of production that made him such a sought-after prospect. Instead, Penn State is back in the market, and the next move in that search will matter plenty for a program still trying to lock down its future at the most important position on the field. [Read more 🡒]