Penn State Sports Magazine
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A P R I L 2 0 2 3 3 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M games last season coming off an Achil- les tendon injury that kept him out of action for the entire 2021 campaign. Behind those veteran players, though, there's going to be a scramble for play- ing time, and Dennis-Sutton appears poised to see his reps increase substan- tially. That's largely due to the help he re- ceived from Penn State's upperclass- men last season. He said that defensive tackle PJ Mustipher, a team captain who is now preparing for the NFL Draft, was one of many veteran players who helped him acclimate to the college game. The key lesson he absorbed from those veterans, he said, was that it's not enough to simply push yourself to your physical limits. "Working smarter, not always the hardest [is most important]," he said. "I always prided myself [as a high school player] on just every single day, grinding and tearing my body down. Some of the older guys and the coaches showed me it's not always about just the amount of stuff you do. It's about what you do when you're doing that type of work. "I've picked up some good drills to do that are not always heavy impact. They're about just getting your hands and getting your mind right so you can go through the motions without tearing your body down every single day. That's what my mindset was before: 'If you're not feeling the pain, you're not working hard enough.' Obviously, I learned that's not how this sort of stuff works. That's not how you last long." As part of his physical training, Den- nis-Sutton has been working out at LombardMMA, a State College-based fitness center focused on martial arts, boxing and self-defense. With athletes now allowed to strike their own name, image and likeness deals, he and several other Penn State linemen have parlayed their promotional abilities into free classes each week. Dennis-Sutton said he's already seen benefits from his work at the studio. "Growing up, I was always a big MMA guy in general," he said. "I like wrestling. I just love that physical one-on-one sort of thing. But yeah, I do the boxing and the hand fighting with Bruce [Lombard] at his gym downtown. It's definitely been beneficial. I've seen my hands get faster, more powerful, reacting quicker and stuff like that." While the future is very much on his mind, the 2022 season was also an un- forgettable experience for Dennis-Sut- ton, a native of Millsboro, Del. If there was one moment that stood out above all the others, he made it clear that it was playing in his first White Out game. Dennis-Sutton recorded 2 solo tack- les in that contest, a 45-17 victory over Minnesota on Oct. 22. "Just playing in that atmosphere is crazy," he recalled. "Minnesota is a great team, great competition, but that game in general was an amazing feeling, with the fireworks and everything going on. Obviously, we won the game, so that just made the night more special. I think the White Out was definitely my top mo- ment last year." Looking ahead, Dennis-Sutton said he's excited about what his class could accomplish at Penn State in the next few years. The Nittany Lions got major con- tributions on offense and defense from some of Dennis-Sutton's classmates, notably running backs Nicholas Single- ton and Kaytron Allen and linebacker Abdul Carter, all of whom earned All-Big Ten recognition in their first season. In addition, Drew Allar established himself as the Lions' heir apparent at quarter- back. "I think we did some great things," Dennis-Sutton said. "Obviously, we know Nick and Kaytron, our running backs, did an amazing job. Drew and a whole bunch of guys did an amazing job on the field. "We've also got a bunch of guys who haven't even touched the field yet who are going to be special. I've seen it in practice and workouts myself. I think we could do a lot more. That's still the goal, to win a national championship every year." ■ Penn State knew it was getting a good player when Chop Robinson transferred from Maryland last April. In the year since, Robinson has, if anything, been even better than expected. He totaled 10 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks for the Nittany Lions as a sopho- more in 2022, and that was without being able to take part in spring practice and get familiar with his new teammates and scheme. In February, Pro Football Focus chimed in with its own assessment of the Gaithersburg, Md., native, ranking him as the third-best edge rusher in college football ahead of the 2023 season. "After seeing limited playing time at Maryland as a true freshman, Robinson transferred intradivision to Penn State and broke out as a sophomore," PFF wrote. "He led all Power Five edge defenders in over- all grade (90.6) and pass-rushing grade (92.4). For his efforts, he was the fourth-most valuable Power Five edge defender according to PFF's wins above average metric." Robinson earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors from the coaches and media in his first season at Penn State. He also shared the team's Outstanding Defensive Lineman award with fellow end Adisa Isaac and hopes to take his play to another level in 2023. "If I take everything that my coaches told me [about] being consistent and all those things, I think I'll be set up great for next season," Robinson said. "With my development, that played a big part this season. I was able to work on and figure out things that I never figured out at my previous college. I'm glad I'm here." — Ryan Snyder Robinson shined in his first season at Penn State, finishing third on the team with 10 tackles for loss and second in sacks with 5.5. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE PFF Rates Chop Robinson Among Nation's Top Pass-Rushers