Penn State’s edge-rusher picture got a little more complicated this week, and LaVar Arrington II is right in the middle of it.
The sophomore defensive end missed Saturday’s win over Marshall after suffering a knee injury during fall camp, and head coach Matt Campbell said Tuesday that Arrington went through “clean-up surgery,” according to Tyler Donohue of Lions247. Campbell added that the recovery window is expected to be four to six weeks.
That timeline leaves Arrington staring at a tricky stretch. If everything goes smoothly, he could be back around Week 6 or 7, when Penn State faces USC and Michigan. But there’s also a real chance the Nittany Lions keep him out longer, especially with the bye week in play and a crowded edge room already making snaps hard to come by.
Arrington was on crutches on the sideline Saturday, a reminder that this isn’t a minor hiccup. And while Penn State is getting healthier elsewhere - linebacker Tony Rojas and safety Jeremiah Cooper both returned for the Week 1 matchup with Marshall, and tight end Gabe Burkle plus linebacker Alex Tatsch are also hoping to be back soon - Arrington’s absence adds another layer to a defense that is still sorting itself out.
The competition at defensive end is no joke. Caleb Bacon, Max Granville, Yvan Kemajou, Ikenna Ezeogu, and Alexander McPherson are all in the mix, and Bacon made the strongest statement of the bunch in Week 1.
He finished with six total tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, and one quarterback hurry. Ezeogu had two tackles for loss, while Granville added one of his own.
That kind of production matters because meaningful game reps are hard to find in a room this deep. Penn State’s edge group is also young - eight of the 11 players are underclassmen - so every snap is part of the evaluation. Arrington, though, is in a different spot than some of his teammates because he has fewer chances to establish himself before the season starts tightening up.
The early nonconference stretch against Temple, Buffalo, Wisconsin, and Northwestern would have been the ideal runway for him to shake off rust and carve out a role. Instead, his return now hinges on recovery time and the way the depth chart shakes out over the next few weeks.
That matters even more with USC and Michigan looming. Campbell will want his best players available for those games, and with Penn State trying to stay on track for a real College Football Playoff push, there isn’t much room for experimentation once the schedule gets serious. For Arrington, the later this season goes, the tougher it becomes to work back into a meaningful role.
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Penn State's Secondary Gives D'Anton Lynn A New Problem For Temple
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True freshman Josiah Zayas has added another layer after recently earning a start and contributing on defense, which only broadens the options available. For a coordinator, the appeal is obvious: more players who can handle more jobs, and less need to stay locked into one look. The challenge now is figuring out just how far Penn State can push that versatility once the ball kicks off against Temple. [Read more 🡒]