Zuriah Fisher, Alonzo Ford, and Andrew Rappleyea are the names of Penn State players who could miss the 2025 season due to injuries. Fisher, in his sixth season, has been sidelined since 2022, and currently, there’s no clear update on his return. As for Alonzo Ford, after coming in from Old Dominion, Ford suffered a long-term injury but was a key part of the team last year, although there’s no clarity on his return either. But now, the team has added another player to its injury list.

Penn State is coming into the 2025 season having learned its lessons after the 2025 setback against Notre Dame. It was a game where no receiver managed to catch a single pass, making concerns about the WR quite intense. So, James Franklin instead turned to the transfer portal and brought three players, including Trebor Pena, Devonte Ross, and Kyron Hudson. But can they do it alone?

Devonte Ross comes after receiving 1,043 yards last year for the Troy Trojans and has a 428-yard season before that. Trebor Pena, on the other hand, arrives after leading Syracuse and Fran Brown to a 10-win season and, in turn, receiving 941 yards. Lastly, Kyron Hudson’s 462-yard performance in 2024 seems reliable enough for Penn State to trust, as he comes from USC. So, the talent seems to be there, but the team would still need backups.

One such potential backup, Kaden Saunders, according to recent reports by On3’s Sean Fritz, has suffered a season-ending injury. “Penn State is without veteran wide receiver Kaden Saunders ahead of the 2025 season due to a long-term injury. The Nittany Lions started camp without Saunders earlier this week,” reported Sean Fritz. The injury seems to be intensifying the injury concerns for Penn State.

Saunders, realistically, wasn’t a crucial piece for Penn State in recent years, as he has been battling multiple injuries for quite a few years. Even last year, the WR played just four games and also saw limited action in the spring camp, highlighting the expandable nature of his talent for Penn State. Despite that, he was occasionally deployed as a punt returner and proved pivotal at Morgantown last year. Though Saunders doesn’t raise that many alarm bells, there are other injuries plaguing Penn State, which has James Franklin worried.

James Franklin shows concern about Penn State’s bill of health

In total, Penn State’s 6 players seem to be struggling with injuries, which also includes running back Cam Wallace and linebacker Keon Wylie, among others mentioned above. Rappleyea’s absence, though, has propelled Luke Reynold to take Tyler Warren’s spot, but if he is fit to start, Rappleyea’s talent would surely come in handy. That said, there’s no clear path in sight on the players’ return, and that is also concerning for James Franklin.

“‘The injury list is not great right now,’ James Franklin says, but he clarifies that it’s largely Penn State players who remain ‘limited’ after recovering from injuries sustained last season. Padded practices await to determine whether they are ‘full go’ for complete contact,” Tyler Donohue of 247 Sports relayed James Franklin’s message. The verdict?

James Franklin would be starting his season in intense scrutiny as he would look to find that natty glory, finally, with arguably the best squad in his tenure at Penn State. In terms of scheduling, Penn State has a relatively manageable schedule considering their quality, and only games against Oregon and Ohio State might give them trouble. Of course, games against Indiana, UCLA, and Nebraska could be challenging too, but these were the matchups where Penn State would be a heavy favorite.