Penn State receiver Parker Washington will miss the remainder of the season with an injury, coach James Franklin said on Tuesday.
Washington missed Penn State’s 55-10 win against Rutgers this past weekend and did not make the trip with the team. Following the game Franklin told reporters that he would wait until Tuesday to update Washington’s status once he got on the same page with his star receiver about making the news public.
The nature of Washington’s injury was not disclosed, although an internet rumor which started during the middle portion of last week that Washington had broken his leg. The validity of that rumor was never confirmed by Penn State.
Nevertheless, the Texas native finishes off the season having recorded 46 catches for 611 receiving yards and two touchdowns, averaging 13.3 yards per reception. Washington posted his best game of the year during Penn State’s 44-31 loss to Ohio State, catching 11 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown in a career day. In his absence Penn State will likely continue to lean on young receiver stars Omari Evans and/or Trey Wallace as well as more established options in senior Mitchell Tinsley and KeAndre Lambert-Smith.
Franklin did not state if or how Tuesday’s news might impact Washington’s pending NFL Draft decisions. Washington may have opted to return to Penn State for an additional year anyway, but any substantial injury could impact his draft stock to the point where returning to Penn State becomes his most prudent choice. Franklin added that, generally speaking, conversations about players staying or declaring for the NFL Draft had yet to happen in most cases.
