Penn State strength and conditioning coach Chuck Losey had plenty of compliments for players in his media session Thursday afternoon but there was only one that he referred to as a “monster.”
It wasn’t an established star like Zane Durant or a celebrated young player like Cooper Cousins.
Rather, it was a true freshman defensive lineman named Yvan Kemajou.
WHAT LOSEY SAID
Here’s what Losey had to say about the 6-foot-3, 235-pounder.
“Yvon 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.”
Kemajou committed to Penn State in July 2024, choosing PSU over Duke, Rutgers, Virginia Tech and West Virginia, among others. He also had offers from Charlotte, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Pitt and Virginia.
Another One: Penn State Football Receives Commitment From 4-Star DE
Penn State offered Kemajou in December 2023 after a big season in which he finished with 46 tackles and 6.5 sacks. In January, he visited one of the school’s Junior Day events and took his official visit the last weekend of May. He also took OVs to Rutgers (June 7-9), Duke (June 14-16), Indiana (June 18-20) and Virginia Tech (June 21). In late July, he was at Penn State for the annual Lasch Bash, which is the biggest recruiting event of the summer.
Penn State’s past success with defensive ends was quite appealing to Kemajou.
NEXT IN LINE?
Could Kemajou be next in the line of star defensive ends at Penn State?
We shall see but one thing that’s for certain is that Penn State’s ability to put defensive ends in the NFL was one thing that drew Kemajou to Happy Valley.
In an interview with Brian Dohn of 247Sports last April, well before his commitment, Kemajou explained what he liked about Penn State.
“D-ends. D-end training,” he said. “They send them to the league.”
Indeed, they do.
The first pick of this year’s Draft might well be a Penn State defensive end named Abdul Carter, to prove Kemajou’s point.
PSU opens the 2025 season against Nevada Aug. 30 at Beaver Stadium.































