Journey Brown became an extremely effective work-horse type of running back for Penn State last season.

He took 129 carries and turned them into 890 yards and 12 touchdowns in what was a breakout season. For 2020, the plan for the Nittany Lions was to piggyback off of 2019 and continue that level of play.

However, in a statement from Penn State on Monday night, Brown is in danger of missing the 2020 season:

“Journey Brown is being treated for a medical condition discovered during the off-season and will potentially miss the 2020 football season,” the statement said.

This of course would be a huge loss for the Nittany Lions. Penn State has its stable of running backs to turn to if Brown does indeed miss 2020. Noah Cain is one player — among a few — that can be looked upon to step up if need be.

The Nittany Lions begin their 2020 campaign at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 24 against Indiana in Bloomington.