Penn State’s defensive end room went through turnover after the 2024 campaign. Abdul Carter and Amin Vanover were off to the NFL and Smith Vilbert transferred to North Carolina, leaving Dani Dennis-Sutton as the only defensive end who saw a sizable role in 2024.
Max Granville was expected to see an expanded workload following his freshman campaign where he filled in for an injured Carter in the Fiesta Bowl. There were high hopes for his redshirt freshman season, but now it’s up in the air if Penn State will see him on the gridiron this year after suffering a “long-term” injury.
“My heart breaks for the kid and the family,” James Franklin said during his summer availability. “Obviously not what we wanted or needed either. He’s a guy that played last year and we were depending on taking that next step this year.”
The veteran Zuriah Fisher is expected to see plenty of snaps coming off of a season-ending injury, but outside of the sixth-year the defensive end room has a ton of question marks.
Defensive end Zuriah Fisher (36) attempts to make a tackle on a Indiana player at the Penn State Football game inside Beaver Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023 in University Park, Pa. The Nittany Lions beat the Hoosiers 24-33.
Chris Eutsler
A recent addition is freshman Yvan Kemajou, who enrolled in the spring. His name has been generating a ton of buzz. During strength coach Chuck Losey’s availability in February, Kemajou was an early enrollee that caught his eye from the moment he stepped on campus.
“Yvan is a monster. You guys are going to love him,” Losey said. “He’s got a monster work ethic, as you’ll see when he gets out there. He’s a very developed kid for a young kid in his lower half. He’s got a ton of strength. He’s going to be a good one for us.”
He had only been on campus for a few months, but he’s made significant progress.
During the Blue-White Game he played alongside Fisher for a majority of his reps. Dennis-Sutton and Granville didn’t see the field, so Kemajou was out there to capitalize on an opportunity.
By the looks of it, his 6-foot-3, 244-pound frame fits in with guys on the defensive line who had been with the program for a few years.
Kemajou committed to Penn State as a 4-star prospect, the No. 33 defensive lineman nationally and No. 7 player in Maryland.
As a recruit he was praised for his IQ, as his intelligence may transfer over to more than just the football field with his major being in mechanical engineering.
“He came in really built, pretty much ready to play,” Granville said in April. “I think he came in at 245, 250 and he’s been very impressive so far. He caught a lot of people’s eyes so far this spring ball, just how physical he plays, not taking crap from the offense, standing his ground and making plays.”
Defensive end Max Granville (18) hits a football out of a coaches hand during football practice on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024 outside Holuba Hall in University Park, Pa.
Jacob DeLuca
Defensive line coach Deion Barnes said that Kemajou came in with a “different type of mindset.” It’ll be a few months until it’s known where he stacks up in the defensive end rotation, but he’s been a workaholic since he arrived in Happy Valley.
He may just find himself in a contributing role come the fall whether Granville got hurt or not — though his injury certainly helps Kemajou’s chances.
“That’s a smart kid. Man. He takes coaching, apply it right away, violent — he tricks you,” Barnes said. “You see him, nice kid, and then on the football field he got a switch. A violent kid, can take the coaching, and he can do some things on the football field that not too many freshmen can do. Been out here working — that’s one thing he definitely does. He never wants to stop working.”
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