Penn State’s defense is getting a jolt at just the right time, and the biggest reason is simple: Max Granville and Tony Rojas are back on the field.
After long injury absences, the edge rusher and linebacker have returned to practice during preseason camp, and through two weeks they’ve already started flashing the traits that made them such important pieces for the Nittany Lions in the first place.
“Both are dynamic football players,” Penn State head coach Matt Campbell said during a Thursday press conference.
Both players were knocked out by knee injuries in 2025. Granville’s came shortly after spring practice and wiped out his entire redshirt freshman season.
Rojas missed the final nine games of his junior year. Neither was a full participant in spring ball, so the early stages of camp have been about shaking off the rust and rebuilding rhythm.
“Both players are working back from a long extended period of time (away from) actually playing the game of football,” Campbell said. “You see flashes of excellence.
You've seen unbelievable athletic traits and ability, and yet you've also seen guys that are working their way back. And this isn't going to just snap back.”
Campbell was careful not to put too much on their shoulders right away, even while making it clear the ceiling is still enormous.
“Both guys, it's going to be a little bit of a process,” Campbell said. “But I feel like each guy has handled the really good and a couple downs, and had the ability to keep responding themselves forward.”
He also said each “have unlimited potential at their positions to be elite players”.
“We're really excited for both of them,” Campbell said. “Both guys have handled this with a great spirit about themselves. ... They will be a great asset to our defense moving forward.”
Rojas, listed at 6-foot-2 and 236 pounds, has long been viewed as a centerpiece for the defense. This summer, defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn used that exact word for him.
“He brings a different level of juice to that room,” Lynn said. “He can blitz, he can run, he's fast as hell, he's good in coverage.”
That versatility is a big part of why Rojas has become such a key figure for this new-look Penn State team. He’s considered one of college football’s premier athletes, and when he’s been available, he started his last 20 Penn State games.
“I haven't gone against a lot of linebackers who are as athletic as that guy,” Nittany Lions offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser said after a recent intrasquad scrimmage. “He's all over the field, and it feels like his football IQ is on another level.
The game just moves slow (for him). So he's a guy you've always got to have a plan for where he's at.
He's one of the best blitzers that we have. He can line up in so many different places.”
Granville, meanwhile, has been drawing praise for the way he’s attacking the pocket again. Lions247 was told he has shown “relentless” pursuit as he works back into form. The 6-foot-3, 252-pound defensive end hasn’t played a game snap since special teams work in a January 2025 playoff semifinal loss to Notre Dame.
“It’s been really, really good to be back,” Granville said this month. “I just feel blessed.
I feel really good physically. I feel sharp, fast.
Maybe a little rusty on some techniques, but nothing I can't tighten up before the season.”
Penn State’s staff has liked what it has seen from him in August, including edge rushers coach Christian Smith.
“Sometimes when kids come back from injuries, they're a little timid,” Smith said. “I haven't got any sense of that. ... He has that competitive nature.”
“It's great to have him healthy,” Smith continue. “He's been engaged, he's been working hard.
He's flashed, just watching him run and change direction. He's looked really good.”
Defensive line coach Ikaika Malloe added another strong endorsement.
“He can do things that other people on our team cannot,” Malloe said. “He has strength, he has speed, he has quickness. His athletic ability - Coach (Smith) and I will put our heads together - we have to use that.”
Former four-star recruits, Granville and Rojas are on track to return to game action Sept. 5 against Marshall in Beaver Stadium.
Defensive back Jeremiah Cooper and linebacker Alex Tatsch are also recovering from long-term injuries and are expected to be involved on September Saturdays, though their status for Game 1 is still undetermined.
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