This is part of a series of 2026 Penn State football position previews.
Previously: Special Teams
Penn State’s defensive line room lost nearly all of its production from a season ago — 2,693 out of 3,358 snaps (80%) have departed this offseason, to be exact.
With defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton (fourth round, Green Bay Packers) and defensive tackle Zane Durant (fifth round, Buffalo Bills) off to the NFL, plus a long list of other graduates/transfers, the Nittany Lions have big shoes to fill in the trenches.
At defensive end, Penn State will likely rely on returning players to step into starting roles. Defensive end Yvan Kemajou, who impressed as a true freshman last season, is favored to land a starting role, while the other spot is seemingly more open.
In 2025, Kemajou saw 238 snaps resulting in 13 tackles and 1.5 sacks, increasing his playing time throughout the season as he adjusted to the college game.
Redshirt sophomore Max Granville — who flashed in 2024 before missing last season to injury — will compete for the other starting spot, along with Iowa State transfer Ikenna Ezeogu.
Granville saw 52 snaps in 2024 with one tackle, though he filled in for the injured Abdul Carter during the later stages of the Fiesta Bowl, showing how highly the previous staff thought of him. The biggest struggle for Granville was adding size, playing at just 229 pounds that season, but he’s now listed at 252.
Ezeogu arrived with much more experience, including 1,135 career snaps across the last three seasons with 60 tackles and three sacks, though competition for playing time wasn’t as fierce with the Cyclones.
LaVar Arrington II and Colorado transfer Alex McPherson could also be considered dark horses to start, but should see some playing time regardless.
Meanwhile, the defensive tackle room saw a West Coast influx this offseason, as Keanu Williams and Siale Taupaki followed defensive line coach Ikaika Malloe from UCLA and brought with them lots of experience.
Williams spent two seasons at Oregon followed by three with the Bruins, totaling 59 tackles, including a career-best 39 last season in Los Angeles. Despite entering his sixth college season, he doesn’t have a ton of playing experience, but that could change this fall.
Taupaki’s tenure stretches back even further — he’s entering his eighth season of college ball following a long stint at UCLA, featuring a redshirt year, a COVID year and two injury seasons. After seeing the field for the first time in 2024 and 2025, he totaled 38 tackles and two sacks.
Both could end up with starting roles this season, although Oklahoma State transfer Armstrong Nnodim, who shifted from an end to a tackle, and others are in the mix.
Iowa State transfer Alijah Carnell, Utah transfer Dallas Vakalahi and returning Nittany Lion Ty Blanding are all names to monitor too — depth shouldn’t be an issue along the interior this fall.
One thing’s certain: Penn State’s defensive line will be much larger this season, especially along the interior, with Taupaki and Vakalahi both listed at 326 pounds, Williams at 317 and Nnodim at 310.
For reference, none of last year’s top defensive tackles (Durant, Xavier Gilliam, Alonzo Ford Jr., Ty Blanding) were listed over 300 pounds.
The question is whether they’ll have to sacrifice pass rush speed and side-to-side movement for the increase in girth.
Overall, Penn State’s defensive end room is talented but unproven, while the defensive tackle group is experienced and brings lots of mass.
