Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1534903
M A Y 2 0 2 5 2 1 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M real reps, whether that be packages that we have set up for them or entire series." It's always tempting to second-guess the public comments one hears when the portal is open, writing them off as mo- tivational ploys aimed at keeping play- ers from leaving. But the visual evidence showed the assessments to be spot-on. Coming out of spring, these two are close, and that's what fans saw. Young Edge Rushers Shine It's no secret that the defensive line has the advantage in this kind of format. For one half, the thud aspect meant that wrapping up wasn't necessary. Because of that, the run game was ineffective. Not much changed in the second half, other than the hitting. Penn State played its young guys almost exclusively on the defensive line. Projected starters Zane Durant, Alonzo Ford Jr. and Dani Dennis- Sutton did not play, and fellow senior Zu- riah Fisher only got a few drives. That left younger guys at both positions. The results were fun to watch. Redshirt freshmen Jaylen Harvey, Max Granville and Mylachi Williams and true freshmen Yvan Kemajou and Dayshaun Burnett all had their moments. Granted, Penn State was down three offensive tackles, and senior Drew Shelton didn't play in the second half when it was full contact, but this group moves differently. We had Harvey down for a pair of sacks, while Granville played the run and pass pretty well. Williams also got to the quar- terback, and the true freshmen played fast. Kemajou took snaps opposite Fisher with the Blue first team. On the interior, we kept hearing the names of redshirt freshmen Xavier Gil- liam and Owen Wafle. Redshirt sopho- more Ty Blanding also had a couple of stops, and redshirt freshman De'Andre Cook got across super senior center Nick Dawkins for a tackle for loss. Yes, it was a scrimmage in which the defensive line had an advantage to start. But it was a good sign for a group that needed to get a ton of reps in the spring. ■ Redshirt sophomore quarterback Jaxon Smolik missed the entire 2024 season with an injury he suffered last spring. He's vying with redshirt freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer for the backup job behind Drew Allar this year. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS