Where does Penn State go after losing potential starter at DE?

STATE COLLEGE — James Franklin and defensive line coach Deion Barnes were understandably solemn when discussing the impact of losing redshirt freshman defensive end Max Granville to a “long-term” injury.

Not only was he poised to be a top two or three contributor at his position for a team with national title aspirations in 2025, but he’s also a young player who was only just starting to work toward a high ceiling on the field. Now, he’s experienced a major setback at just 19 years old.

“My heart breaks for the kid and the family, and obviously not what we wanted or needed, either,” Franklin said Thursday. “He’s a guy that played last year, and we were depending on him taking that next step this year.”

Said Barnes: “You’re more worried about the kid than anything. I mean, you know how it impacts the team. He’s a guy I really thought well of, but the kid — making sure his psyche and his mind is right after having something like that — that’s more what I’m worried about, trying to keep track of him throughout this time. Because being a 19-year-old kid, it’s going to be tough not playing the game you love for a little while.”

Granville enrolled extra early as a freshman, reclassifying from the 2025 group to 2024. He preserved his redshirt in the regular season but wound up playing seven games total, including serving as Abdul Carter’s primary backup during some College Football Playoff situations. Granville came away with one tackle, a broken-up pass and one quarterback hurry.

Penn State’s hopes were high for him, especially after losing Carter, Amin Vanover and Smith Vilbert from what used to be an extremely deep defensive end group.

“He definitely was trending up, doing a great job in the spring,” Barnes said. “Found his rhythm.”

Penn State added just one transfer this offseason at edge rusher, former top Pennsylvania prospect and Texas A&M Aggie Enai White, but the move was based more on prior relationships and perceived potential than instant impact on Saturdays in 2025. Barnes said he and the staff constantly kept their options open for more additions, but they trust the guys currently in the room and need to move forward as-is.

That leaves the Nittany Lions with a position group, minus star Dani Dennis-Sutton, that has one sixth-year senior, one redshirt sophomore, two redshirt freshmen and five freshmen on scholarship.

“There’ll be competition in that room, but he was a young player, and by losing him, we just got a little bit younger, too,” Franklin said. “It is what it is at this point. In some ways, the earlier you find out, the better. So you get going on trying to speed up the maturation process of the other guys.”

Zuriah Fisher, the most experienced remaining option with 379 career snaps played, has generated plenty of buzz behind Penn State doors — both for performance and leadership. The coaching staff is confident he can make a significant impact. But that doesn’t come without exterior apprehension. He missed all of 2024 and most of 2022 with significant injuries, dulling his career statline to just 22 tackles and 3 1/2 sacks.

Still, he’s most likely to start alongside Dennis-Sutton, and Penn State will need a healthy version of Fisher to stay afloat in 2025. He’s a lengthy 6-foot-3 and 258 pounds off the edge.

“You’re talking about another older, mature guy that has some that’s had some adversity that’s he’s had to overcome, both from a football perspective as well as some personal stuff,” Franklin said. “I think he’s got a really bright future, and I think he’s going to have a chance to have a really, really big year.”

Barnes often reiterated Thursday that, no matter who he’s been impressed with thus far, things can play out differently once fall camp and the season opener roll around. But redshirt freshman Jaylen Harvey was one of the first under-the-radar names he pointed out.

The 6-2, 246-pounder from Quince Orchard in Maryland dons the same No. 44 as his old high school teammate Chop Robinson excelled wearing at Penn State. Perhaps Harvey, who was likely No. 4 in the rotation before Granville’s injury, could have Robinson-like rise this fall with some added pressure to perform.

After showing flashes of good tape in his freshman year at Maryland, Robinson, alongside fellow relative-unknown Adisa Isaac, turned in 9 1/2 sacks and 21 tackles for loss in 2022.

“Remember, Chop was a sophomore,” Barnes said. “At that time, y’all didn’t know who they were, and then all of a sudden, they popped up. That’s what we’re gonna have this year. This D-line’s forever gonna be in that type of standard. Whoever’s in, they’re gonna perform.”

Redshirt freshman Mylachi Williams and redshirt sophomore Mason Robinson are the only other multi-year Lions at the position, though neither has seen the field yet while dealing with some injuries.

There are five promising freshmen on campus this year, but most will take time to either add to their bodies or get accustomed to the playbook. Chaz Coleman has a high ceiling but is just 6-4 and 235 pounds after playing as a high school quarterback. Cortez Harris is working back from a season-ending injury as a high school senior. Daniel Jennings, already around an impressive 250 pounds, took the Granville route and just reclassified from 2026 to 2025 and is not yet on campus. Dayshaun Burnett played linebacker in high school and is 6-3 and 227 pounds.

There’s still time to grow and be ready by the end of fall camp, but currently, Yvan Kemajou out of Paint Branch, Md., seems most ready to burn his redshirt. He saw some action in the Blue-White game alongside upperclassmen and sits at 6-3 and 244 pounds.

“Smart, young kid. Physical. He cares. He does what you want as a young kid,” Barnes said. “He’s one of them dudes that they don’t care about nothing but ball.”

Training camp will be rolling in early August with the season opener vs. Nevada set for Aug. 30. It’s clear Penn State’s defensive end room will look significantly different from last year’s group, but Barnes and Franklin aren’t panicking — even after losing a potential starter in the offseason.

“We might be talking about somebody that might not have risen yet,” Barnes said. “Somebody is gonna rise to the top, and we’re gonna have a dominant D-line.”