Penn State enters the 2025 season with a veteran nucleus that’s having its “last dance.”
In this series, I’ll examine the current state of the position group and identify who looks like who is next, who needs to step up, who is in the pipeline in recruiting, and attempt to forecast the potential usage of the transfer portal.
In the first part of the series, the quarterback room was examined. You can read it HERE.
In the second part of the series, the running back room was examined. You can read it HERE.
In the third part of the series, the examination of the next EDGE after Dani Dennis-Sutton is examined.
Current Starters: Dani Dennis-Sutton and Zuriah Fisher
With how offenses have spread out defenses, leveraging the full 53.3 yards of the field, the emphasis of getting to the quarterback has only gotten greater.
It can be argued the EDGE is currently the marquee defensive position at Penn State, which has seen the likes of Odafe Oweh, Adisa Isaac, Chop Robinson, and Abdul Carter all highly drafted.
The next in line is Dennis-Sutton.
The former five-star prodigy from Owings Mills, Maryland had a breakout season last year.
Dennis-Sutton finished with 42 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, nine quarterback hurries, 8.5 sacks, three pass breakups, two forced fumbles, one interception, one fumble recovery.
Entering his senior season, Dennis-Sutton ranks second amongst Power Four defenders with 75 pressures, with his sacks and tackles for loss numbers ranking sixth in the Big Ten.
While Dennis-Sutton headlines, Fisher remains the mystery.
Poised for breakout previously, Fisher’s opportunities have been cut short with injuries.
Fisher enters his senior season poised to fulfill his potential.
Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now
Potential Successors: Max Granville, Chaz Coleman, Jaylan Harvey
If there was a player who was garnering major hype to breakout this season, it was Granville.
Granville reclassified and was able to join Penn State during their 2024 College Football Playoff run.
That experience, coupled with bulking up to 250 pounds, it looked like the young EDGE would, at minimum, be in rotation with Fisher opposite Dennis-Sutton.
An undisclosed long-term injury ended the Granville hype train in 2025, but he will be seen as a front-runner as a starter in 2026.
Redshirt freshman Jaylen Harvey has been impressive all preseason that included an excellent Blue-White game performance and being named by defensive coordinator Jim Knowles as the most outstanding player in practice.
Harvey is a name to watch out for early in 2025 as the reps he receives will be a barometer of what he needs to work on for that next jump in 2026.
The two true freshmen the staff feels who has impressed thus far have been cornerback Daryus Dixson and Coleman.
Coleman enrolled at Penn State at 240 pounds and has a frame to at least morph into a 260 pound athlete.
Much like Harvey, Coleman has been recognized by Knowles as an outstanding performer in practice.
A final name to keep note on is freshman Yvan Kemajou who has been impressive through much of his strength and conditioning.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.
Committed Pipeline: Tyson Harley, Jackson Ford
One of the biggest recruiting misses in the Class of 2026 was missing on five-star St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Maryland) Zion Elee.
Where Penn State has cleaned up in elite DMV talent, it was a rare defeat for the Nittany Lions against Maryland, who landed the nation’s top recruit.
But Penn State did manage to add two EDGE rushers that should bolster the depth in a pair of four-stars in Jackson Ford from Malvern Prep (Phoenixville, Pennsylvania) and Tyson Harley from Gonzaga (Washington DC).
The intel on Ford is his anticipation of the snap can help him win many battles with blockers and his ability to leverage his force on the edge has made him an excellent defender stopping the run.
While Ford has the weight (240) to man the edge, Harley is a bit lighter (220) and will need to add mass if he would like to remain there.
Harley was a rising junior for Gonzaga last season finishing with 30 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and six sacks.
Recruiting Targets.
The DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) continues to be a fertile area for getting an elite EDGE.
The Nittany Lions have targeted Good Counsel’s (Olney, Maryland) Anthony Sweeney, the No. 1 prospect in Maryland, and Lloyd C. Bird’s (Chesterfield, Virginia) Chris Whitehead, the No. 1 prospect in Virginia.
With Maryland head coach Mike Locksley prioritizing keeping Maryland athletes at home, expect another dog fight for Sweeney.
Sweeney is rated as a five-star in 247Sports Composite index and has offers from all over the country.
Sweeney finished his sophomore season with 49 tackles, nine tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks and a forced fumble.
Whitehead has been a frequent visitor to Happy Valley, visiting three times (all unofficial) last visiting in April.
During his first two seasons on the varsity, Whitehead has compiled 31 tackles for loss, nearly half of his career number (68).
Penn State has also targeted two fast rising juniors in four-stars James Pace from DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Maryland) and Abraham Sesay from Downington East (Downington, Pennsylvania).
Sesay has been a strong lean for Penn State and could be one of the next to commit to Penn State for the Class of 2027.
Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now: James Franklin
Portal Forecast:
Penn State has made a splash before in the transfer portal, previously landing Chop Robinson and Arnold Ebiketie in the portal.
The Nittany Lions have positioned themselves where they will add on the right pieces, see Enai White as an example.
The position will be young in 2026 and 2027 with a lot of youth looking to establish a hierarchy but all must be able to live up to the string of excellent EDGE rushers that have preceded them.
