Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1525333
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 4 11 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M welcomed senior Ohio State transfer Julian Fleming and a three-player true freshman class. Redshirt junior wideout Liam Clifford said at the start of preseason camp that camaraderie among the receivers has been strong even with the personnel changes. "I feel like this is the closest the room has ever been," said Clifford, who caught 13 passes for 130 yards last sea- son. "[It's a] super close team. Through- out the offseason, we always were trying to find ways — even away from football, just off the field — to hang out and get to know each other. That stuff is really important. We need to be able to trust those guys when you're on the field, and that starts off the field." The changes have thrust veterans like Fleming, Clifford, redshirt junior Harri- son Wallace III and redshirt sophomore Kaden Saunders into leadership roles. From his vantage point as a quarterback, Pribula said it's been a positive develop- ment. "There's a different confidence in that room. I think that stems from the guys being a little older and being un- selfish," Pribula said. "But also, Julian coming in as an older guy from a differ- ent school, bringing some of the culture that he learned from his past school [has been positive]. Bringing that into our room and letting our guys see that, I think it's helped that room a lot." The newest additions to the room — freshmen Tyseer Denmark, Peter Gon- zalez and Josiah Brown — have flashed promising signs since their arrival. Brown is working his way back from a knee injury last October that brought a premature end to his senior season at Malverne (N.Y.) High, but the group has impressed in its short time on campus. "Those guys are competitive," Prib- ula said. "They're very smart, they have different physical abilities. I think Gon- zalez is a go-up-and-get-it type of guy. He's a little bit of a bigger body. Then Denmark, he's quick. He's very agile. I think they bring different things to the table. Both of those guys are going to be very good players for us moving forward." ■ Penn State Football Notebook KEYS, LYONS NO LONGER ENROLLED AT PSU Defenders Jameial Lyons and Kaveion Keys are no longer part of the Penn State program. Both were removed from the online roster on Aug. 3, and a PSU spokesperson confirmed that neither is enrolled at the school. Lyons, a sophomore defensive end, and Keys, a redshirt freshman linebacker, had previously been on what Penn State described as an "interim suspension." A former four-star prospect from Philadelphia, Lyons was set to be a bigger part of the defensive line rotation after playing in eight games and finishing with 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack as a true freshman. Keys, a four-star prospect from Richmond, Va., saw action in two games last season. He shared Devel- opmental Squad Player of the Year honors on both defense and special teams and had been in line for an expanded role this fall, with the Lions having moved junior Abdul Carter to defensive end and redshirt sophomore Keon Wylie out indefinitely with an injury. While Carter is expected to receive snaps at his former position this fall, the Lions have only seven full-time, healthy scholarship linebackers on their roster going into the season, and three of those play- ers have freshman eligibility. Defensive coordinator Tom Allen said PSU will benefit from the versatility of redshirt juniors Kobe King and Dominic DeLuca, sophomore Tony Rojas and redshirt freshman Ta'Mere Robinson, all of whom can play multiple positions. "The Keon situation and now [the loss of Keys] has really affected our depth at that spot," Allen said. "But I will say this, I want to recruit linebackers who can play all three spots. "Ta'Mere Robinson is a guy who I think could play all three. He had a great offseason. Kobe can play both Mike and Will, Ta'Mere is able to play both, Dom can play Sam, Mike and Will. Tony can play all three. … Those guys are going to have to rise up and make plays." — Greg Pickel GRANVILLE RECLASSIFIES, JOINS LIONS AS 2024 RECRUIT Penn State picked up a key verbal commitment in June when consensus four-star defensive end Max Granville of Fort Bend (Texas) Christian Academy announced that he planned to sign with the Nittany Lions. It was assumed that Granville would ink his letter of intent in December, but he had a different time- table in mind. In July, he reclassified to the 2024 class and joined the Nittany Lions for the upcoming season. He is listed at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds on the fall roster and will wear jersey No. 18. James Franklin said Penn State didn't know until late in the recruiting process that Granville was in position academically to enroll a full year early. While his recent arrival was something of a surprise, the Nittany Lions have liked what they've seen so far. "He already flashed in the first two days [of preseason camp]," Franklin said. "He's athletic, quick. [He showed] a lot of the things you saw on the high school tape. You don't know if those things are going to show up when players get here, but that's already happened." — Sean Fitz Granville was a member of the Nittany Lions' 2025 class before opting in July to enroll at Penn State a year early. PHOTO COURTESY MAX GRANVILLE