Penn State’s edge-rush picture has a familiar name back in the mix, and Max Granville is hard to miss.
The redshirt sophomore defensive end was one of the louder talking points around the program in the summer of 2024, when he was still being discussed as a young player with real juice off the edge. Granville had originally been part of Penn State’s 2025 class before reclassifying to make himself eligible in 2024, and even with Abdul Carter and Dani Dennis-Sutton leading the way and Amin Vanover in reserve, he still drew attention.
Former Penn State coach James Franklin said in early August of that year, “He’s already flashed in the first two days (of camp),”
Vanover offered a similar take later that month, saying, “(Granville) has a very quick first step, and he reminds me a lot of Chop Robinson, to be honest with you.”
Now Granville is healthy again after missing all of 2025 with a long-terim injury, and the setup around him has changed. Dennis-Sutton has moved on, Zuriah Fisher transferred to USC, and a group of younger ends is in the hunt for snaps. Granville, sophomores Yvan Kemajou and Alexander McPherson are all competing for meaningful time in the rotation.
There’s also a bigger body to work with this time around. Granville was listed at 225 pounds in the summer of 2024, but after long hours in the weight room, he’s up to 252. That puts him in the same kind of frame as Carter, Dennis-Sutton, Robinson, Adisa Isaac and Odafe Oweh - the kind of edge rushers Penn State has produced in recent years.
Granville said he was “very limited” during spring drills, but he also said he expected to be ready for the start of the regular season.
Penn State defensive line coach Ikaika Malloe summed up the upside in April: “Obviously, the potential that he has; he’s been working on the side during the spring).
“The one thing that I will say that Max has from film, is just how low he can bend. And I think that’s probably the most important trait, in terms of pass rushers. Yvan (Kemajou) has that, Max has that.”
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