Penn State will have one of its leaders back for the 2024 season.
DL Dvon Ellies announced via X (formerly Twitter) Wednesday night that he’ll return for his sixth and final year of eligibility.
God got me! Let’s do it pic.twitter.com/OPXDgChQgU
— Dvon Ellies🇦🇸 (@dfesquire) January 4, 2024
This announcement was accompanied with a graphic that had two words on it: “I’m Back,” along with Ellies’s signature.
Ellies played in 10 of Penn State’s 13 games this past season, starting five. He ended the year with 18 tackles (nine solo), a quarterback hurry and 3.5 tackles for loss. Ellies also played in all 26 of Penn State’s games between 2021 and ‘22, starting a game in each of those seasons. Ellies committed to Penn State in January 2019 after a career at Maryland’s McDonough School.
At McDonough, he was teammates with PJ Mustipher, who was a year older and wrapped up a fine career at Penn State after the 2022 season.
As a senior, USA Today named Ellies to its all-Maryland team.
He ended 2018 by earning Team MVP honors.
Ellies sacked the QB 17 times that season and ended the year with 72 tackles and 11 tackles for loss.
Ellies has developed into a leader on Penn State’s defense, and showed that leadership with a message after the team’s underwhelming 38-31 win over Indiana in late October.
“Dvon said something in the locker room,” coach James Franklin at his weekly presser the following Tuesday. “What he said was something that we talk about a lot, ‘The best teams are honest teams.’ And you got to be willing to have those conversations with each other. To me, it’s always at its best when it’s player-led. When the players can hold each other accountable, and have real conversations with each other. Whether that’s at practice, or in the locker room, or on game days, or Saturday nights.”
