{"id":71621,"date":"2025-01-14T10:30:45","date_gmt":"2025-01-14T15:30:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/?p=71621"},"modified":"2025-09-20T14:33:04","modified_gmt":"2025-09-20T18:33:04","slug":"penn-state-defensive-line-in-flux","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2025\/01\/14\/penn-state-defensive-line-in-flux\/","title":{"rendered":"Penn State Defensive Line in Flux"},"content":{"rendered":"

Penn State did not waste any time getting back to work following the College Football Playoff (CFP) semifinals loss<\/a> to Notre Dame. The focus is now on the 2025 roster. Recent announcements affecting the defensive tackle and defensive end positions have made this apparent. However, despite some decisions being made, the Penn State defensive line is still in flux.<\/p>\n

Losing a star like Abdul Carter<\/a>, the 2024 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, creates a big challenge.\u00a0 However, head coach James Franklin, defensive coordinator Tom Allen, and defensive line coach Deion Barnes have been hard at work to fortify the defensive line.\u00a0 Zane Durant<\/a> and Dani Dennis-Sutton<\/a>, established and respected starters, announced that they are returning for their senior seasons.\u00a0 Additionally, Penn State added defensive end Enai White<\/a> from Texas A&M and defensive tackle Owen Wafle<\/a> from Michigan via the transform portal.<\/p>\n

Penn State Defensive Line<\/h2>\n

Abdul Carter Heading to the NFL<\/h3>\n

Not surprisingly, Abdul Carter is trading in “St1x C1ty” for the NFL.\u00a0 The reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, and the most recent steward of the prestigious #11 Penn State jersey, will likely be a Top 10 pick in the draft.\u00a0 Importantly, Carter\u2019s departure leaves a gaping hole at the defensive end position.<\/p>\n

Carter\u2019s production transcended the stat sheet this year.\u00a0 He learned a new defense and a new position by moving from linebacker to defensive end.\u00a0 Carter struggled early to produce up to his abilities but improved throughout the season.\u00a0 Carter cemented his place in Penn State lore with his performance against Notre Dame.\u00a0 He played a great game on essentially one arm following an injury against Boise State in the quarterfinals.<\/p>\n

Production aside, Carter did not always portray the traditional Penn State team-first image.\u00a0 He was the self-proclaimed star of the defense.\u00a0 Following a sack this season, Carter struck the Heisman pose and openly campaigned with voters for the award.\u00a0 This approach is in stark contrast to the approach modeled every day by players like Tyler Warren<\/a>, who allowed his play to do the talking for him.<\/p>\n

Three-Down Durant Returns<\/h3>\n

While Carter is departing, defensive tackle Zane Durant announced that he is returning for his senior season.\u00a0 Durant will enter next season as one of the defense\u2019s anchors, and a potential captain.\u00a0 He brings consistency in production, as well as continuity in Allen\u2019s defense.<\/p>\n

Durant, at 290 pounds, has a mix of athleticism and strength that allows him to impact any game.\u00a0 He does a lot of essential things that do not show up in the box score.\u00a0 Durant frequently takes on double teams and stands up offensive linemen who are bigger than he is.\u00a0 This strength allowed players like defensive end Carter and linebacker Kobe King<\/a> to impact plays.\u00a0 Additionally, Durant has the quickness to get to the quarterback himself on occasion.\u00a0 His ability to stay on the field for three downs is a luxury for Allen and defensive line coach Barnes.<\/p>\n

Returning for his senior season is a smart move for Durant.\u00a0 It allows him to potentially compete for a national title again.\u00a0 He also has the chance to improve his NFL draft stock working with Barnes, who has created multiple quality pros with Carter about to be added to the list.<\/p>\n

Portal Reinforcements on the Way<\/h3>\n

Penn State has been diligently working the transfer portal to bring in reinforcements for the defensive line.\u00a0 Defensive end Enai White joins from Texas A&M with three years of eligibility remaining.\u00a0 Owen Wafle, a defensive tackle, left Michigan and has four years of eligibility left.<\/p>\n

White will be a factor in the defensive end rotation.\u00a0 He could either be fighting for minutes as a starter or provide valuable depth for a position that will undoubtedly be different than this season.\u00a0 Things did not work out that well for White at Texas A&M, and the Philadelphia native will look to fulfill his potential under the tutelage of Barnes at Penn State.<\/p>\n

The addition of Wafle can be seen as a depth move, after losing players like Coziah Izzard<\/a> and Dvon J-Thomas to graduation.\u00a0 He should not be expected to displace Durant or Alonzo Ford<\/a> as the starters.\u00a0 However, Ford is coming off a long-term injury so depth is important.\u00a0 Contrary to Durant, Wafle profiles more as a two-down lineman that can occupy blockers and stuff the run.<\/p>\n

Dennis-Sutton Denies the Chance to be Drafted This Year<\/h3>\n

As the defensive line begins to take shape for next season, the most recent decision is perhaps the most team-friendly.\u00a0 Dani Dennis-Sutton announced he is returning to Penn State for his senior season like Durant.<\/p>\n

Similar to Durant, and different than Carter, Dennis-Sutton does not profile as a very high pick in the upcoming draft.\u00a0 However, he showed consistent improvement and played perhaps his most impactful game under the brightest lights against Notre Dame, with six tackles, two sacks and an interception.\u00a0 Dennis-Sutton\u2019s stock is as high as it has been.\u00a0 Therefore, it will be interesting to see how he continues to develop in this upcoming season.<\/p>\n

The opportunities for Dennis-Sutton to take that next step will be numerous.\u00a0 He is expected to take Carter’s role as the defense\u2019s top pass rusher if he returns.\u00a0 He was able to preview that during the game against Notre Dame.\u00a0 Dennis-Sutton slid over to the weakside end spot on numerous occasions.\u00a0 This freed up Carter to attack using his good arm for contact and leverage.\u00a0 Dennis-Sutton performed well on that side.<\/p>\n

Defensive Line Taking Form but Still in Flux<\/h3>\n

The defensive line will look a lot different next season.\u00a0 Franklin, Allen, and Barnes have already begun the hard work of replacing Abdul Carter\u2019s production.\u00a0 It will need to be a collective effort across the entire line, and the line’s roster is still in flux but shaping up nicely so far.<\/p>\n

At defensive tackle, Durant\u2019s return gives the team an anchor to build around.\u00a0 Ford is expected to step in at the other tackle spot. Players like Wafle and Xavier Gilliam<\/a> should provide depth.\u00a0 At defensive end, Dennis-Sutton is the wild card.\u00a0 If he continues to improve in his senior season, he can replace a lot of the production that Carter is taking to the NFL.\u00a0 The remaining question at defensive end is who starts opposite Dennis-Sutton.\u00a0 Current options include Texas A&M transfer White, Max Granville<\/a>, and Jaylen Harvey<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Penn State did not waste any time getting back to work following the College Football Playoff (CFP) semifinals loss to Notre Dame. The focus is now on the 2025 roster. Recent announcements affecting the defensive tackle and defensive end positions have made this apparent. However, despite some decisions being made, the Penn State defensive line […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5172,"featured_media":71651,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,5,35610],"tags":[6272,837,3440,309,1073,4516],"class_list":["post-71621","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-bigten","category-penn-state-nittany-lions","tag-deion-barnes","tag-james-franklin","tag-penn-state-defense","tag-penn-state-nittany-lions","tag-tom-allen","tag-transfer-portal"],"modified_by":"Michael Kovacs, ADMIN","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71621","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5172"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71621"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71621\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":71652,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71621\/revisions\/71652"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71651"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71621"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71621"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71621"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}