Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1537537
A U G U S T 2 0 2 5 6 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / D E F E N S I V E L I N E M E N / / / / / / / P enn State has produced its fair share of NFL-caliber players over the course of James Franklin's tenure, but during the past five years, no position has featured more top-level talent than the defensive ends. Since 2021, Odafe Oweh, Arnold Ebiketie, Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac were not only drafted into the NFL, but were also all selected in the first three rounds. That list doesn't even include 2020 draftee Micah Parsons, who mostly played linebacker for the Nittany Lions and is now considered one of the best pass rushers in the NFL. Last season, Penn State learned from its success with Parsons, moving an- other former linebacker, Abdul Carter, to defensive end. He totaled 23 tackles for loss and 12 sacks and ended up being drafted third overall by the New York Gi- ants. Now, i t's Da n i D e n n i s - S u t t o n 's turn. Listed at 6-foot-5, 265 pounds, Dennis-Sutton could have declared for the draft following his junior season in 2024. In fact, you would be hard- pressed to find many Nittany Lion fans who would have questioned his deci- sion had he chosen to leave early. De- spite playing with a groin injury that hampered him at times, the Millsboro, Del., native still totaled an impressive 42 tackles, including 13 for loss and 8.5 sacks, all of which were career-highs. Dennis-Sutton was at his best in Penn State's sprint to the College Football Playoff semifinals, with roughly half of his tackles for loss (6) and sacks (4.5) coming in those three postseason con- tests. Add in the 2 turnovers he forced against Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl, and you could make the case that his stock was at an all-time high at the end of the season. While the Nittany Lions fell short of the title game, Dennis-Sutton came away from his junior year feeling as though he was trending in the right di- rection. "It felt good to finally get the produc- tion that I wanted," he said. "Obviously, everybody wants the sacks, the TFLs, everything like that. So, it felt good. It was a great game against Notre Dame with the interception, the sacks, all of that." Throughout his late-season surge, Dennis-Sutton said he "felt like I got back into my groove. We had those cou- ple of weeks off before the playoff run, and I felt great again, no injuries. I think that showed what I'm capable of doing." No Regrets It's not as if Dennis-Sutton didn't al- ready have high expectations coming into his collegiate career. A former five- star recruit, he was a standout at Mc- Donogh High School in Owings Mills, Md. Earning nearly 40 offers, he chose the Nittany Lions over Alabama and Georgia, arguably the nation's two best programs at the time. Coming off last season's playoff, most NFL Draft experts believed Dennis-Sut- ton would be a Day 2 pick. That would have resulted in a nice payday, but after talking it over with his coaches, fam- ily and others, he announced that he would return to Happy Valley for one final season. "I felt like, if I left after last year, there would still be a lot more that I left on the table," Dennis-Sutton said. "I don't want to live like that. I want to do every- thing I can in college and have no regrets looking back." Dennis-Sutton was part of Penn State's 2022 recruiting class, which remains the highest-ranked group of Franklin's tenure. Both quarterback Drew Allar and running back Nicho- las Singleton were considered five-star prospects in a class that finished No. 7 nationally in the On3 Industry Team Rankings. Others, like offensive linemen Drew Shelton and Olaivavega Ioane, de- fensive tackle Zane Durant and running back Kaytron Allen were also four-star prospects who have lived up to the hype. Aside from Carter, who was certain to be an early first-round pick this year, all the key members of that class opted to return as seniors in 2025. Dennis- Sutton admitted that the brotherhood and commitment from each of them to come back played a role in his decision. "I'd say that it factored in a little bit," he said. "The biggest decision was for my career and what was the best deci- sion for me, but it did give me a con- fidence boost and made me feel good wh e n I s aw a l l those guys start- ing to come back, too. That's when I said, 'OK, we've go t a rea l go o d chance of running this thing back and going to the na- tional champion- ship.' I think we're all just more hungry. We've been there. We know what we can achieve." With Penn State's preseason expecta- tions as high as they've been in decades, Dennis-Sutton knows he can't rest on his laurels. Through his work with posi- tion coach Deion Barnes, he has a much better understanding of his strengths and weaknesses than he did last season. "A lot of times, I was trying to do things out of my framework," Dennis- Sutton said. "This offseason, me and Deion looked at the reps that I won and the reps that I lost. All the reps I won were simple moves — stack-ups, pow- ers, long arms, things like that. The reps I lost are where I tried to do other things. "Keeping things simple and throw- ing your fastball is something Deion says a lot. Just do what you're best at, and that's what I did toward the end of last season. If they countered, I would counter, and no one could really block me in those games. I understand that now." "My ultimate goal in college is to be the best defensive player in the country, and really the best player, period. I want to make it undeniable that I'm the best defensive end and best defensive player. I don't think I made that undeniable this past year." D E N N I S - S U T T O N