Penn State Football’s Roster Reality: 5 Defensive Players Next Head Coach Can’t Afford to Lose
After 12 years with head coach James Franklin at the helm for Penn State Football, the Nittany Lions‘ program is set for a major reset this offseason.
Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft will undergo a national search for Penn State’s next head coach in the coming weeks and months, and the Penn State roster will probably undergo major upheaval in the transfer portal era.
While Penn State’s new head coach will have to go to the transfer portal to replace pieces on the roster graduating and transferring out after Franklin’s departure, for now, Penn State’s roster is filled with plenty of great pieces for a new head coach to build with.
While it would certainly be great to retain as many of Penn State’s players on the current roster as possible, that is just not reality in the transfer portal era. Here are the top five defensive players that Penn State’s new head coach must do everything he can to retain heading into 2025.
Penn State Football’s Top Priority Players to Keep on Defense
Defensive end Chaz Coleman
True freshman defensive end Chaz Coleman has been the buzz of the defense since stepping onto campus last summer.
A late riser in the 2025 class, Coleman was a massive recruiting win for the Nittany Lions as the Ohio State Buckeyes pushed late for his commitment.
While playing behind Dani Dennis-Sutton and Zuriah Fisher this season, Coleman has recorded seven tackles, three tackles for a loss, one sack, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in his first year on campus.
With Franklin gone, Ohio State will likely push again for Coleman to jump into the portal after seeing him flash his high ceiling during his true freshman season. Coleman was a four-star prospect out of Ohio in the 2025 class and ranked as the number 293 player in the nation according to the 247Sports composite rankings.
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Defensive end Max Granville
The buzz that Chaz Coleman has created since coming onto campus somewhat overshadows how excited many fans were to see year two of Max Granville this season.
After an offseason injury, however, Granville will miss the 2025 season and will not have a chance to build upon his 2024 breakout campaign. Although he will be recovering from an injury, Granville showed an incredibly high ceiling during his true freshman season and is a worth add to this list for a new coach to retain.
Granville and Coleman could become a dangerous pass rushing duo for the Nittany Lions if Penn State’s new coach can keep them both out of the transfer portal.
Cornerback Daryus Dixson
Now interim head coach Terry Smith has never shied away from playing a true freshman at cornerback for the Nittany Lions if the player is ready to compete.
Daryus Dixson is the latest in a long line of true freshman corners to see meaningful snaps during their first season on campus. Dixson has recorded six tackles and a half of a tackle for a loss this season in six games.
Dixson was a four-star prospect out of California and ranked as the 112th overall prospect in the nation according to the 247Sports composite rankings in the 2025 class.
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Defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam
In his redshirt freshman season, Defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam is pushing for starters reps and trending up this season. Gilliam has recorded nine tackles and 1.5 tackles for a loss in six games so far in 2025.
With Penn State losing both Zane Durant and Alonzo Ford this offseason, Gilliam would give the Nittany Lions a familiar face returning to the center of the defensive line.
Gilliam ranked as the 745 overall player in the 2024 class according to the 247Sports composite rankings as a three-star prospect out of Maryland.
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Linebacker Tony Rojas
Another player who will be recovering from injury, linebacker Tony Rojas was breaking out to be a true star for the Penn State defense this season.
In four games before his injury, Rojas recorded 25 tackles, 4.5 tackles for a loss, two sacks, and defended a pass.
This offseason, Rojas tested as one of the fastest players on the entire Penn State roster and showed plenty of improvement from his 2024 campaign after getting healthy after a surgery to clear up a nagging injury this offseason.
Rojas could be a leader for the 2026 Penn State defense if Penn State’s new coach can retain him this offseason. Rojas ranked as a top 100 overall prospect in the 2023 class as a four-star prospect out of Virginia.
In the transfer portal era, it will be open season on the entire Penn State roster once the transfer portal opens.
Penn State will face stiff competition and plenty of NIL dollars from other programs as they attempt to poach Penn State’s talented roster heading into 2026. Whoever ends up as the next head coach at Penn State certainly has their work cut out for them to retain the best of Penn State’s roster heading into next season.
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