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Penn State's Cam Wallace Returned From a Brutal 2024 Injury to Soar in Week 1

Nittany Lions coach James Franklin detailed what the running back overcame to hurdle a Nevada defender in the opener.
Mark Wogenrich|
Penn State Nittany Lions running back Cam Wallace runs with the ball during the fourth quarter against the Nevada Wolf Pack at Beaver Stadium.
Penn State Nittany Lions running back Cam Wallace runs with the ball during the fourth quarter against the Nevada Wolf Pack at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

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On just his second touch in nearly a year, Penn State running back Cam Wallace caught a swing pass and hurdled a Nevada defender. The fourth-quarter move elicited gasps from the Nittany Lions fans, who likened it to another Penn State running back hurdling defenders while wearing No. 26. Yet most of them were unaware of the arduous road Wallace took to that leap.

Nearly a year ago, Wallace sustained an injury that teammate Andrew Rappleyea called "quite literally disgusting" in Penn State's Week 3 game vs. Kent State. Nittany Lions coach James Frankin rarely discusses injury specifics, but this week he confirmed just how significant Wallace's injury was.

On a 2-yard carry late in the Nittany Lions' 56-0 win over Kent State, Wallace sustained broken bones in both his legs. The injury clearly ended Wallace's season and sent him to a lengthy rehab process, a chapter he closed with that play against Nevada last week. Which prompted Franklin to say, "I think his legs are OK."

"Cam Wallace last year had a play where he got tackled and got bent back in the pile," Franklin said on the Penn State Coaches Show. "And I don't know if everybody necessarily knows this, but on that play he broke both of his legs on the same play. And in my 30 years, I'd never seen that before.

"So for him to come back the way he's come back is impressive to Cam, to our training staff, to our strength staff. The [second] touch he gets in the first game of the year coming off that injury he hurdles a guy, so I think his legs are OK. But just super impressive, and I couldn't be more proud of him. And I do think it's a credit to our training staff and our strength staff as well."

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'I loved it,' Saquon Barkley said of Wallace's hurdle

Wallace's return, and that play, were among the highlights of Penn State's 46-11 win over Nevada. "I think Saquon's going to say that one was pretty sweet," CBS Sports' Gary Danielson said on the broadcast, referring to the former Nittany Lions All-American who still wears No. 26 for the Philadelphia Eagles. And Barkley certainly did.

"I loved it, I loved it," Barkley said Monday at a media availability in Philadelphia. " I got to talk to him over social media. Moreso just because he had a tough injury the year prior. And just to see how he fought through adversity and be able to get back on the field and be able to make that leap, it's pretty cool."

Before this week's radio show, Franklin had hinted publicly at the severity of Wallace's injury without actually defining it. But its severity was clear when teammates had to carry Wallace off the field during the game. Following Wallace's return last week, the head coach marveled at what he saw from the running back.

"It sure was nice to see Cam, right?" Franklin said. "[Second] time he touches the ball, he makes a big-time play. Very proud of him. There is a physical and mental and emotional aspect coming back from that type of injury, so it was pretty cool."

A redshirt sophomore from Georgia, Wallace needed some time to win back the No. 3 spot at his position. That's partly because he played in only three games during his first two seasons at Penn State. And though Wallace made a strong first impression in his return, Franklin said the competition for the RB3 role will continue.

"We were all talking about him [after the game] and the run he had and how excited everybody was for him," Franklin said. "So I called him and told him that and had him on speaker phone, and everybody in my basement started yelling for him. He was feeling really good about himself. I said, 'Relax, they're not going to induct you into the College Football Hall of Fame after one catch.' Everybody kind of laughed. I know that felt really good for him and I was very proud and happy for him. But that battle will continue."

Rappleyea, who also returned from a 2024 long-term injury to play vs. Nevada, was proud of Wallace as well.

"To see one of my best friends have to struggle like that [was tough], "Rappleyea said. "But also to know, with his tough mentality, that he was going to come back and he was going to be better."

Penn State hosts FIU for a noon ET kickoff Saturday at Beaver Stadium. Big Ten Network will televise.

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Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is the editor and publisher of Penn State on SI, the site for Nittany Lions sports on the Sports Illustrated network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs, three Rose Bowls and one College Football Playoff appearance.

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