Penn State Football Position Previews: Defensive End

Penn State's defensive end room has seemingly always been filled with talent during the James Franklin era and in 2024 that remains the same as the Nittany Lions enter the season with one of the best duos in the country. That being said, there are questions regarding the defensive end room entering this fall.

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STARTERS

Not many programs in the country will have as good of a one-two punch at defensive end this fall than Penn State. The Nittany Lions have two legitimate first-round talents at defensive end in Dani Dennis-Sutton and Abdul Carter.

Dennis-Sutton, one of the biggest signings in the James Franklin era was a third-team All-Big Ten selection last season by the coaches after playing in 13 games and making three starts. He finished his sophomore season with 26 tackles, six tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks. He also recorded 3.5 tackles for loss and three sacks as a true freshman.

The 6-foot-5, 272-pound defensive end is certainly a potential breakout candidate for the Nittany Lions this fall and if he does have that breakout, the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft could be calling for Dennis-Sutton.

Carter will be starting opposite of Dennis-Sutton after making the move from linebacker to defensive end this fall. A natural pass rusher, it should be exciting to see how the Philadelphia native performs at his new position in 2024. The Nittany Lions do still plan on using the 6-foot-3, 259-pound defender at linebacker as well this fall.

After recording 10 tackles for loss and six sacks as a true freshman in 2022, Carter had a quieter season in 2023 but still strong one, earning first-team All Big Ten honors from the coaches and was a Sports Illustrated second-team All-American.

This preseason, he has been named to numerous watch lists and was an Associated Press preseason second-team All-American. He enters this fall with 104 career tackles, 16 tackles for loss and 11 sacks.

If Dennis-Sutton and Carter play to the level that many expect this fall, the Nittany Lions will have one of the most dominating defensive end duos in the country.

DEPTH

Penn State's depth at defensive end took not one but two big hits this offseason. The first being redshirt senior Zuriah Fisher suffering a long-term injury though NIttany Lions head coach James Franklin does expect Fisher to return at some point this fall. The second hit was the dismissal of defensive end Jameial Lyons. Lyons is especially a tough loss on the field for Penn State as he had tremendous raw talent and was a breakout candidate this fall. Nonetheless, James Franklin and the program opted to move on from Lyons in recent weeks.

With that, Penn State's main rotation members at defensive end this fall will be Amin Vanover and Smith Vilbert.

Vanover brings 29 games of experience into 2024 including 21 games played over the past two seasons. For his career, the New Jersey native has 29 career tackles including seven tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. He also has one forced fumble and three pass deflections.

Vilbert in 2023 missed the entire season due to injury, a disappointing campaign for the New York native. He'll look to stay on the field this season and carve out his biggest role yet. He brings 19 games of experience into this season with eight career tackles, four tackles for loss, and three sacks. Notably, all three of his sacks came in the 2022 Outback Bowl against Arkansas .

The Nittany Lions will also look towards some of their younger defensive ends to potentially make an impact this fall. Redshirt freshman Mason Robinson is a potential candidate to step into a role.

Don't count out freshman Max Granville either. Originally a class of 2025 commitment, Granville reclassified to the 2024 class late last month and has been a hot name around the Lasch Building this fall camp. It would be quite the story for a would-be high school senior to make the jump to college football but the early results have been impressive.