Penn State Football: TE Nick Bowers to miss 2016 season

The Penn State Nittany Lions look to open up their 2016 season on a strong note, but it will have to come without the help of a key player.

After battling with Pittsburgh last season to secure Nick Bowers, the Nittany Lions will have to go another season without him. The redshirt freshman was looking to be a major key in Penn State’s offense both blocking and catching.

In a press conference Tuesday, head coach James Franklin announced that Bowers will miss the entire 2016 season. What Franklin didn’t do was give any detail about why the 6’4″ tight end will miss the year saying, it’s a “next man up” situation.

With the suspicious comments, or lack of, from Franklin, it leaves a few questions. The first thought that comes to mind, is whether Bowers was injured. It’s strange for a coach not to give details on an injury when a player is ruled out for an entire season. There’s no strategical advantage in keeping injury secrets from the media.

If Bowers isn’t dealing with a season-ending injury, then the next option is a possible suspension. Neither Penn State nor coach Franklin has released any information involving Bower’s status. If he is suspended, the school and team have done a great job keeping it a secret.

With Bowers out, Mike Gesicki will be the starter at the position, with redshirt junior Tom Pancoast, redshirt freshman Jon Holland, and true freshman Danny Dalton as the backups entering the season.

The Penn State offense took a blow with Bowers out. Looking to compete for a top 25 position this season, the Nittany Lions were hoping to have all pieces of the team healthy for the entire season. Being injury stricken has been Penn State’s downfall over the last two seasons.

This season, they hope that Bowers is the only piece of the team with injury problems. New quarterback, Trace McSorley, will take a blow from Bowers departure. But with Saeed Blacknall and Chris Godwin, the Nittany Lions’ QB should still be in good shape.

Penn State opens their 2016 campaign against Kent State on Saturday, September 3 at 3:30 EST.