Game log · Week-by-week
2024 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 34-12@ West Virginia | 12 | 7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 12 tackles |
| Wk 2 | W 34-27vs Bowling Green | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 13 | 8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#2
Kevin Winston Jr.
Former safety at Penn State. Career stats, games and honors on CFB Zeitgeist.
6′2″ · 205 lb · Columbia, MD
CFB Index 56 · #214 of 538 safetiesMedium confidenceTennessee — drafted 2025, Rd 3, Pick 18, #82 overall
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
Recruiting
4★
S recruit
No. 342 nationally · Signed with Penn State
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Former safety at Penn State. Career stats, games and honors on CFB Zeitgeist.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to Penn State in 2022.
- Drafted round 3 by the Tennessee in 2025.
Kevin Winston Jr.
Plays like an extra linebacker near the line. He has spent three seasons in the Penn State secondary. His first career honor landed in 2024: Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. The receipt on tape: 12 tackles against West Virginia, Week 1, 2024.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- positional archetype classification
- seasons on the roster
- recognition record
- game log
How it ended
Three seasons at Penn State, 87 tackles — drafted at #82 overall by Tennessee.
His career
He arrived as a blue-chip recruit and played like one.
20226 games
- Signed with Penn State4-star out of DeMatha Catholic
2025
- Drafted by Tennesseeround 3, pick 82
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
Penn State
NFL
NFL Draft
R3 · #82
Coaching lineage · 2022–2024
1 coach2022–2024
Penn State
Played his entire career under James Franklin.
Where He Ended Up · NFL
TennesseeEntering 2nd NFL season
#82Rd 3 · Pick 18
TennesseeEntering 2nd NFL season
2024 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
3 seasons under James Franklin, all run-leaning offenses — 34-8 over that span.
2022Penn State11-2HC: James Franklin · Run-leaning
2023Penn State10-3HC: James Franklin · Run-leaning
2024Penn State13-3HC: James Franklin · Run-leaning
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Medium confidence
Concern: tackles for loss (7th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 2 games: 6.5 TKL/g, 0.0 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Matt Campbell
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2023
Starter
Tackle volume for the position at a full-time starter's level.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Index Score
56 · #214 of 538 safeties
Former four-star. Now #214 at the position.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Penn State | 13 | 8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Penn State | 60 | 35 | 2.5 | 0.0 | 5 | 1 | -- |
| 2022 | Penn State | 14 | 10 | 1.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 87 | 53 | 3.5 | 0.0 | 5 | 1 | -- |
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Box Safety
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
S
His 2023 production profile sits closest to Jordan Castell’s 2023 season.
78%match
Matches Jordan on
Class year
Tackle volume
TFL rate
Differs from Jordan on
Weight (lower)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Jack Fries's sophomore season at Ohio (2025).
88%match
Matches Jack on
Class year
PD rate
TFL rate
Player DNA
Players who play like Kevin Winston Jr.
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology