Koby Howard injury update: Latest on Penn State WR, to miss 'extended time'
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Penn State will be without one of its breakout stars of 2026 for a while.
Coach Matt Campbell told reporters Wednesday that receiver Koby Howard will miss “an extended period of time” with an injury, though he did not rule him out for the season.
Previously, Campbell had said at his weekly news conference Tuesday that Howard was “dinged up” on his 70-yard touchdown Sept. 19 against Buffalo.
Howard has 344 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 12 receptions this season. He added a rushing touchdown to his total as well against the Bulls.
Already, he’s surpassed the yardage totals of all but two Penn State pass catchers from a year ago, establishing himself as a key target for quarterback Rocco Becht.
Howard was one of the holdovers from former coach James Franklin's final roster. He played sparingly under the former coach and interim coach Terry Smith last season, when he caught seven passes for 133 yards as a freshman.
Koby Howard injury update
The nature of Howard's injury is not disclosed to this point, but Campbell confirmed the star will miss "extended" time. Campbell did not, however, say he will miss the entire season.
Penn State wide receiver depth chart
Offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser will now likely lean harder on fellow receivers Chase Sowell and Brett Eskildsen as well as tight end Benjamin Brahmer in the passing game. All three followed Campbell from Iowa State to Happy Valley this offseason after Campbell was hired as Franklin's permanent replacement. Franklin was fired at midseason in 2025 after losing the first three conference games of the year.
The timing is unfortunate for the nation's No. 14 team in this week's LBM Coaches Poll. The Nittany Lions open Big Ten conference play Saturday against Wisconsin at Beaver Stadium. Kickoff is 5 p.m., and the game will air on Peacock, NBC Universal's premium streaming service.
They'll subsequently travel to Northwestern for their first conference road contest — the Wildcasts' first in their new on-campus stadium — then face ranked USC and Michigan squads in games that could determine their College Football Playoff fate.
In other injury news, Campbell also said that offensive lineman Will Thompkins is out for the season with an injury.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Koby Howard injury update: Latest on Penn State WR, to miss 'extended time'
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