The Lions’ biggest roster question heading toward 2027 is hard to dodge: the defensive line needs help, and it needs it badly.
That became even clearer once the offensive line was taken out of the conversation. The front five has looked better since the bye week, and all five starters can come back if they want to.
Linebacker is still a concern because of depth, but there’s at least a path there. Tony Rojas could be gone after this season based on his draft outlook, though if he does return, that would be a boost.
Alex Tatsch should be back from injury next season, and there is some younger talent in the room.
The defensive line, though, is a different story.
There’s no real way around it: this group has been one of the weak spots. Siale Taupaki and Keanu Williams, the two starting interior defensive linemen, are redshirt seniors and will move on. On the edge, Ikenna Ezeogu and Caleb Bacon are also gone after this season, while Yvan Kemajou and Alex McPherson can return.
The production has been thin. Across the entire defensive line, the Lions have only four sacks this season - 2.5 from Kemajou, one from Bacon and a half-sack from defensive tackle Ty Blanding. Two of those sacks came in non-conference play.
Rojas, a linebacker, has more sacks on his own with five. That’s not the kind of balance you want in a standard base defense, where the edge rushers are supposed to carry more of that burden.
Since Big Ten play began, the pass rush simply hasn’t done enough.
Defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn addressed that Tuesday in his weekly press conference and didn’t sugarcoat it.
"It starts with being able to win our one-on-one matchups, executing our pass rush games and being able to affect the quarterback with four (defensive linemen)," Lynn said. "Right now, I feel like we need to lean on our pressures a little too much."
Campbell made beefing up the interior a priority entering the season, and the roster reflects that. Five defensive tackles weigh 300 pounds or more, a noticeable shift from the James Franklin days, when faster and more athletic defensive linemen were preferred.
Those bigger tackles aren’t there to pile up flashy numbers. Their job is to hold up against the run. But when Northwestern runs for 413 yards against you, the plan isn’t working.
That’s the larger issue with this front. A better defensive line could have cleaned up a lot of problems this season, and it’s tough to see that changing much without immediate help from the transfer portal.
In Other News...
Penn State Fans Still Waiting On Minnesota Game As Uncertainty Grows
A nationwide ground stop tied to communications problems at regional air traffic control centers rippled into Penn States Week 11 matchup with Minnesota, leaving the Golden Gophers travel plans in limbo for much of Friday. The Federal Aviation Administration lifted the stop after about four hours, but Minnesota still had not finalized its trip by late Friday evening, adding another layer of uncertainty to a game that was already on the calendar and now had to wait on logistics.
The delay was not isolated to one program, either. Other Big Ten teams, including Purdue and Washington, also felt the effects as flights were delayed or altered, a reminder of how quickly a routine football weekend can get complicated when air travel gets disrupted. For Penn State fans looking ahead to Saturday, the game itself remained the focus, but the buildup had an unusual wrinkle as Minnesotas arrival remained unsettled. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Rally Ends In Another Brutal Big Ten Near-Miss
Penn State had a chance to turn a tight road game into a statement result at Yost Ice Arena, and for much of the night it looked like the Nittany Lions might leave with something to show for it. Instead, Michigan found the finishing touch late and pulled away for a 6-3 win, a result that extended Penn States difficult start and kept the Lions searching for their first Big Ten victory.
The frustration was amplified by a pivotal offside review that wiped out what would have been a tying goal, a sequence that left Penn State chasing the game again just when momentum seemed ready to swing. Justin Poirier and Reese Laubach were among the notable contributors in a spirited effort, but the Lions still slipped to 2-8-1 overall and 0-4-1 in conference play, another near-miss in a league that has not given them much margin for error. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Lands An Early In-State Recruiting Test Under Matt Campbell
Penn States early work in the 2028 class already has a notable in-state win, with four-star cornerback Deonte Flemings Jr. committing to the Nittany Lions under head coach Matt Campbell. Ranked as the No. 5 player in Pennsylvania, Flemings has become one of the more important local names in the cycle, and his decision gives Penn State an early foothold with a prospect who knows the program well and has built strong ties with the staff.
Flemings has continued to take other visits, but those relationships have kept him steady in his pledge as he looks ahead to his own development. He has spoken about how much he expects to grow as a player before arriving in Happy Valley, and for Penn State, the bigger picture is just as encouraging: landing a highly regarded in-state defensive back this early gives the program a chance to keep building around a player who already seems invested in what comes next. [Read more 🡒]