Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545675
A U G U S T 2 0 2 6 6 5 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 / / / / / / / 2025 vs. 2026: Stock Up Or Down? As with so many other position groups this year, whether you consider Penn State to be improved depends on how you view last season. Edge rusher Dani Dennis- Sutton and defensive tackle Zane Durant, both of whom are now in the NFL, look like better players on paper than Penn State has on its 2026 roster. The Lions will also miss defensive end Chaz Coleman, a player with pro potential if he's able to overcome the unspecified medical issue that caused his exit from Tennessee in June. But even with those three in the fold, Penn State saw its average sacks per game fall from 2.8 in 2024 to just 2.3 last season. The Nittany Lions also allowed nearly 50 more rushing yards per game in 2025 (148.4) than in 2024 (102.2). Losing Abdul Carter to the NFL was a big part of the pass-rushing decline, and Tony Rojas' season-ending injury impacted the run game, but those stats still fall largely on PSU's core defensive linemen. When the transfer portal opened in Jan- uary, Matt Campbell and his staff priori- tized size at defensive tackle and defensive end. That's a good place to start, but it's also a bit concerning that PSU's projected starters this season have only 7 sacks in more than 2,800 combined snaps. Last year's results suggest that Penn State should be better in multiple key cat- egories, but previous results don't really bear that out. X-Factor Max Granville is an easy pick here. After skipping his senior year of high school to enroll at Penn State ahead of the 2024 season, Granville exceeded all expecta- tions, contributing in five games, including 11 snaps against Boise State in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. Then came an ACL injury in the spring of 2025, knock- ing Granville out for all of last season. Heading into his redshirt sophomore cam- paign, Granville is up to 252 pounds, and the Lions are hopeful that he maintained the burst and explosion that he flashed two years ago. If that's the case, he has the potential to be a force off the edge. Freshman Outlook Penn State has only three defensive line- men with freshman eligibility. Edge rush- ers Jackson Ford and Elijah Reeder were both consensus four-star prospects in the 2026 class, but they're raw and will likely need time to develop. The same holds true for 2025 defensive end Dayshaun Burnett, who ended up redshirting last season and didn't play a snap all year. He'll probably earn time on special teams, but we also expect at least four players, and possibly more, to be ahead of that trio on the depth chart come September. Redshirt sophomore Armstrong Nnodim will supply depth at defensive tackle after transferring to PSU from Oklahoma State in January. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS