With Dani Dennis-Sutton moved on to the NFL, Penn State’s defensive end room is looking for its next star.
It’s a room that, unlike the majority of the team, doesn’t feature too many transfers, with just Ike Ezeogu from Iowa State and Alex McPherson from Colorado coming in from elsewhere. The room is also fairly young, and those younger players have battled throughout the offseason with some leading the pack for a starting spot.
Here’s a deeper look at what the defensive end room will look like, ahead of the 2026 season.
Potential starters
Out of all of the returning defensive ends, redshirt sophomore Max Granville has generated the most buzz as a potential starter, largely due to the story surrounding his return from injury.
Granville is back and practicing at fall camp, and the coaching staff have voiced their excitement for his potential breakout campaign. The nation has taken notice as well, naming him to the Comeback Player of the Year Award watch list.
Yvan Kemajou is in the mix for a starting role as well after a solid year in 2025 as a true freshman, where he recorded 13 tackles, five tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and one pass breakup in 11 games.
Defensive end Yvan Kemajou (99) runs through other players during the Penn State football game against Villanova on West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025 in University Park, Pa. The Nittany Lions beat the Wildcats 52-6.
Geraldine Cruz
Ezeogu, the only former Cyclone in the room, is also the oldest and most experienced player among them. The redshirt senior was a full-time starter for the first time in 2025 with career numbers of 60 tackles, six tackles for loss, three sacks, four pass breakups and a fumble recovery in 39 games.
Depth pieces
McPherson, the other transfer alongside Ezeogu, had an impressive true freshman season at Colorado last year. The 6-foot-6 defensive end played in 10 games, made 16 tackles, pressured the quarterback six times and blocked a punt against Delaware in Week 2.
LaVar Arrington II is also likely to see modest playing time after spending most of his true freshman year playing on special teams. This will be his first season at the defensive end position after switching from linebacker.
Redshirt junior Mason Robinson, redshirt sophomore Aidan Probst and redshirt freshman Dayshaun Burnett all haven’t seen action in their careers so far and will likely serve as depth pieces.
The lone true freshman
Penn State’s defensive end room has only one true freshman, Jackson Ford, who was the only player from the Nittany Lions’ original 2026 class to stay committed after James Franklin was fired.
The Malvern Prep product was a 4-star recruit and the No. 9 player out of Pennsylvania.
Ford got considerable praise from Matt Campbell on Thursday, who said Ford could be one of the new recruits that see serious playing time throughout the season — although he’ll likely see the field mostly on special teams.
“Ford has done a really good job through spring ball and then in the season, you’re gonna have to fight to get yourself into a position at the defensive end,” Campbell said on Thursday. “I think Jackson can help us in some other ways too.”
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