Penn State lands commitment from coveted 4-star DE Granville

Penn State added yet another high-profile prospect to its 2025 recruiting class.

Max Granville, a consensus four-star defensive end/linebacker from Fort Bend Christian Academy (Texas), verbally committed to the Nittany Lions on Monday night.

Granville, one of Penn State’s top defensive targets in the 2025 cycle, picked the Nittany Lions over heavy interest from Oklahoma, Texas A&M, USC and Baylor. He also had offers from Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Michigan and Ohio State, among others.

Granville is the sixth commit Penn State has secured in the last week. Four-star defensive backs Jahmir Joseph and Antonio Branch Jr. committed ahead of the weekend. The Nittany Lions landed four-star Imhotep tailback Jabree Wallace-Coleman on Saturday. And Sunday, four-star edge rusher Cortez Harris and athlete Braswell Thomas picked Penn State.

Granville is the 18th member of Penn State’s 2025 recruiting class, which ranked 11th nationally prior to Granville’s decision, per 247 Sports.

This is a significant get for James Franklin, defensive line coach Deion Barnes and the rest of the staff. Granville is ranked as high as the No. 109 overall prospect in the class, per ESPN. Some recruiting outlets label him a defensive end; others have him pegged as a linebacker. Either way, Granville’s size (6-foot-3, 225 pounds) and talent are undeniable.

Granville visited Penn State to kick off a busy June. Then he made trips to USC, Texas A&M and closed out the official period at Oklahoma. Many believed the Sooners were the leaders in the clubhouse for a while. But at this point, Granville is a Nittany Lion.