Penn State’s defensive end picture is starting to come into focus at the top, but the spot next to Ikenna Ezeogu is still up for grabs as fall camp rolls on.
Ezeogu looks like the safe bet on one side. Redshirt senior Ikenna Ezeogu has the No. 1 job locked down, and edge rushers coach Christian Smith called him an “NFL player.”
The bigger question is who lines up opposite him when Penn State opens against Marshall on Sept. 5.
The Nittany Lions have plenty of bodies there, including a group filled with Iowa State transfers, but no one has separated himself yet.
Smith said the battle could run all the way into the week before the opener, though he also made clear Penn State wants to rotate at least four defensive ends during the season.
That leaves a cluster of names fighting for traction, and Week 2 of training camp is already offering clues.
One of the more intriguing options is Kemajou, who generated some buzz as a freshman last year with 12 tackles, five for loss, and 1.5 sacks in 10 games. Smith has liked the athleticism he’s seen early in camp, but he also wants Kemajou to sharpen the mental side of the position.
“The faster you can process what's about to happen, and now you can play fast and play free, you give yourself the ability to make plays that aren't the plays that you're technically supposed to make on a sheet of paper,” Smith said.
Kemajou said he’s trying to improve across the board this fall, though he singled out pass rush and “getting after the quarterback” as areas he wants to tighten up.
Granville is another name to watch, and simply being back on the field means something after what he went through. He called it “blessed” to be practicing again after a season-ending injury in 2025, a year when he expected a larger role on Penn State’s defensive line after contributing important playoff snaps the season before.
Smith said Granville “worked his tail off” to get back, and he liked the flashes Granville showed as a freshman. Granville said the injury didn’t take away what made him athletic in the first place.
“I feel like my natural movement never really left me,” Granville said. “It was just getting strength back in my lower half, but doing certain moves in the summer, I'm like, ‘Yeah, I still got it, so I'm good.’ And then just building trust, building speed back, it's only grown and grown coming into camp.”
Bacon brings a different kind of background into the mix. A four-year linebacker at Iowa State, he’s not working at his usual spot this month.
Instead, Penn State has him with the defensive ends, something Matt Campbell said the Nittany Lions would be “missing the boat to not add his multiplicity.” Bacon has played near the line before, but this is the first time he’s been practicing with the ends full-time.
“Just being down there every single time, working just like footwork and stuff like that is a little bit new,” Bacon said. “But for me, I feel like my hands and hand placement has been just super natural. Coming from linebacker, that's a big stress point for striking and disengaging blocks.”
Last season, Bacon earned All-Big 12 honorable mention recognition and played 50 percent of his snaps on the line of scrimmage, according to Campbell. He finished with 9.5 tackles for loss and three sacks in 2025.
McPherson also enters the race with some momentum. He flashed at Colorado as a freshman, recording 16 tackles and six quarterback hurries, and he added 20 pounds this offseason. Listed at 6-6 and 254 pounds, he gives Penn State size and versatility.
Smith said McPherson can line up anywhere from a 4- to a 9-technique, and the spring left a strong impression.
“I was impressed with what he did in the spring,” Smith said. “He doesn't play like he's just a sophomore in college, just with his knowledge of the game and the feel that he plays with, and he has an edge to him.”
Then there’s Ford, a member of the 2026 recruiting class who is already drawing attention in camp before playing a snap in a real game. A 4-star prospect according to 247Sports, Ford is one of the freshmen with a chance to matter this season. Smith said the goal is to get him to a point where, if he has to play, the staff “wouldn’t lose sleep.”
“I have no doubt in my mind that Jackson, going forward, is going to be a really, really good football player at Penn State,” Smith said. “It's just a race to maturity and figuring out when he's ready to go.”
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