Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1539550
O C T O B E R 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 F orty-five former Penn State play- ers were on NFL rosters to start the 2025 season. No surprise there; coach James Franklin's program is one of the most proficient developers of professional-grade foot- ball talent in the country. However, what might catch some fans off-guard is which players come out on top when you break down that 45-player contingent by position. The top group is the edge rushers, of whom there are seven in the NFL. While Ty Howle right- fully gets credit for the tight end pipeline he's created from State College to the league, there probably isn't enough at- tention being paid to defensive line coach Deion Barnes and his predecessors for the players they have produced in re- cent years. And now there's another one waiting to join his fellow Nittany Lions at the next level starting in 2026: Dani Dennis-Sutton. A Delaware native who spent his prep career at McDonogh High in Owing Mills, Md., Dennis-Sutton is one of the numer- ous Nittany Lions who could have left for the pros after the 2024 season but instead elected to return for their senior years. In announcing his decision after a dominating run throughout last year's College Football Playoff, the 6-foot-5, 265-pound defensive end said in part that "we have unfinished business to take care of." So far, he is certainly taking care of business from his pass-rushing spot on the field. During the nonconfer- ence portion of the season, which ended on Sept. 13 when the Lions defeated Vil- lanova, 52-6, at Beaver Stadium, Dennis- Sutton saw limited action but still to- taled 4.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 4 quarterback hurries. He had multiple tackles for loss and a sack in each of the first two contests of the year. Dennis-Sutton's best performance to date — and the one that moved him back into the first round of numerous media mock drafts for next year — came in the season opener. In Penn State's 46-11 vic- tory over Nevada, he was electric and un- blockable. Dennis-Sutton finished with 5 tackles, including 2.5 for loss, a sack, 2 forced fumbles and a pass breakup. After an offseason in which there were ques- tions about whether anyone was ready to step into the game-wrecking role va- cated by Abdul Carter, who is now with the New York Giants, Dennis-Sutton an- nounced loud and clear that he is capable of doing exactly that. "I think every defensive player knows good things happen when you run to the ball, so I'm just trying to run to the ball — do it in practice, and then the game, and it just becomes a habit," he said. "All I can do is go out there and give my all every single play and run to the ball, and then obviously great things happen — push- ing the ball out, things like that. Coach Franklin preaches it. I'm trying to live by it." A Well-Rounded Player Dennis-Sutton's relentless motor may be his most notable attribute. He has an innate ability to find the ball after the snap and then move toward it quickly and powerfully before crunching who- ever is holding it. He's reminiscent of such Penn State predecessors as Carter, Micah Parsons, Arnold Ebiketie and Odafe Oweh. That's not to mention the likes of Yetur Gross-Matos and Adisa Isaac, the latter having overlapped with Dennis-Sutton during his first two years on campus. Except for Isaac, who is on injured re- serve, all of those former Nittany Lions are playing major roles for their respec- "He wants to be great. A lot of guys say they want to be great. This guy eats, sleeps and dreams football. He wants to be special, and he's been that way since we recruited him. Since he's been on campus, he's just continued to get better." J A M E S F R A N K L I N O N D E N N I S - S U T T O N Dennis-Sutton got his senior season off to a ferocious start against Nevada. Despite seeing limited snaps, he totaled 2.5 tackles for loss, a sack, 2 forced fumbles and a pass breakup to help Penn State roll to a 46-11 victory. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS