Penn State Football

Penn State Star Defender Announces Return

Joe Smeltzer

Published

January 13, 2025

Penn State fans are pumped to have Dani Dennis-Sutton back.

In a day that started with bad news, the good news keeps coming for Penn State.

Monday morning, word got out that defensive coordinator Tom Allen was leaving for the same position at Clemson.

Report: Penn State DC Tom Allen Leaving For Clemson

That was a bummer for Penn State fans.

But the day was about to get better. First, RB Nicholas Singleton announced his return. Then, backfield mate Kaytron Allen did the same.

Penn State Will Have Both Star RBs Back For 2025

Now, a third Penn State star has announced that he’ll be back in the saddle for the 2025 season. Star defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton has announced that he’ll be returning for the 2025 season, which will be his last of eligibility.

DENNIS-SUTTON’S IMPACT

Dani Dennis-Sutton is among many that are happy Penn State is going to the Fiesta Bowl.

Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now: Dani Dennis-Sutton

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Dennis-Sutton is one of Penn State’s most impactful players. He ended the 2024 season with 8.5 sacks, which was second to Abdul Carter, who had 12. Carter was possibly the best defensive player in the country this past season, so, yeah, that’s pretty good company. Dennis-Sutton was particularly dominant in the College Football Playoff quarter and semifinals. In the Fiesta Bowl against Boise State, he has a sack and 2.5 tackles for loss. The next week against Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl, he had six total tackles, two sacks and an interception that set Penn State up for a go-ahead touchdown and would have gone down in history had Penn State won and advanced to the national title game.

Penn State edge rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton (@thedanidennis) drops into coverage and PICKS IT OFF!

👉 https://t.co/MKU1F0Jk9s pic.twitter.com/zkgcbDQiTT

— Penn State Nittany Lions | Happy Valley Insider (@PennStateRivals) January 10, 2025

But PSU has a chance to win it all again in 2025, partly because of Dennis-Sutton’s return.

WHAT THE DE ROOM LOOKS LIKE

True DE Max Granville is a player Franklin said Penn State would be winning to use more in the event that defensive end Dani-Dennis Sutton can’t play.

Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now

So what does the PSU DE room look like now? Well, it still needs to account for the departure of Carter, who is slated to be one of the top players selected in the 2025 draft. But with Sutton, Max Granville and possibly Zuriah Fisher back, as well as transfer Enai White in from Texas A&M, there’s still an abundance of talent to watch.