For future reference, Nyeem Wartman-White might want to avoid making appearances on special teams moving forward -- especially if Temple is involved.
The Penn State linebacker injured his knee covering a punt in the 2015 season opener against Temple and missed the remainder of the year. A little over a year later, Wartman-White’s season has met a premature end because of yet another knee injury.
Wartman-White suffered the injury in the Week 3 win over Temple. The Owls were forced to punt, but Wartman-White remained on the field as the Nittany Lions went to a “punt-safe” formation in defending against a possible fake. The fifth-year senior’s knee buckled in what was described as a non-contact injury.
Perhaps the only silver lining for Wartman-White is that he will be a slam dunk for a medical waiver that would grant him a sixth season of eligibility he could use next year.
Wartman-White had started the first three games of the 2016 season for the Nittany Lions. He started the opener last year as well before the injury. The two years prior to that, Wartman-White had started a total of 20 games.
As a true freshman in 2012, Wartman-White’s season came to an end after just two games as he sustained a knee injury on the opening kickoff of the second game.
This current injury is the latest to hit PSU’s linebacking corps as starters Jason Cabinda and Brandon Bell missed the Temple game because of their own health issues. Their statuses for this weekend’s game against Michigan remain very much up in the air.