A Penn State defender is making a position change.
Coach James Franklin told reporters Thursday evening that Enai White, who came to Penn State as a defensive end, has moved to defensive tackle.
This move frankly makes sense.
Even with losing Max Granville to a long-term injury, Penn State still has a lot of talent at defensive end.
Dani Dennis-Sutton might well be the first end taken in next year’s draft. Sixth-year Zuriah Fisher is finally healthy enough to contribute. Nittany Sports Now has also learned that the program is impressed with what second-year EDGE Jaylen Harvey has shown thus far in camp, along with true freshman Yvan Kemajou and Chaz Coleman.
THE WORD ON WHITE
Penn State knew it needed to add a veteran to its defensive line over the offensive, and it did that in adding White.
White, who came to A&M as a borderline five-star recruit— the No. 38 overall player nationally in the Class of 2022 per 247Sports— hasn’t had a dream college career thus far.
After getting 90 snaps (per Pro Football Focus) as a true freshman in 2022, an ACL injury limited him to 37 snaps in 2023 and carried over into 2024, where he played a total of nine snaps over two games.
But he’s certainly talented.
White is a Philly guy who played his high school football at the prestigious Imhotep Charter.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.This allowed him to develop a relationship with Penn State defensive line coach Deion Barnes,who trained prospects in Philadelphia before becoming a full-time coach at PSU.
“I knew coach Deion before he got the job at Penn State,” White told 247Sports after his official visit to PSU this weekend. “He used to train me. He grew up not too far from where I grew up.”
So what sticks out to White about Penn State schematically?
“The way they play their defensive ends (stood out),” he told 247. “They play vertical, up the field. That kind of fits the way I play the game. The belief that coach Deion had in me, I am in the transfer portal, I am coming off an injury, but he still believes in what I can do, so that plays a big role in what I have going on right now.”
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE MIDDLE
Penn State has promise at defensive tackle but aside from Zane Durant— another guy who should be in for a big payday next spring— there isn’t a lot of proven depth.
Dvon J-Thomas and Coziah Izzard are gone.
Alonzo Ford has a lot of years in college football but, like Fisher, hasn’t had a lot of chances to prove himself on gameday due to injuries.
Ty Blanding and Xavier Gilliam are talented but haven’t gotten much of a chance to prove themselves.
At 6-foot-5 and 275 pounds, White has the build for a defensive tackle, too.
Penn State opens its season against Nevada at Beaver Stadium Aug. 30. The game is scheduled for 3:30 on CBS.
