Reinforcement on The Way for Penn State Football at Key Position

Penn State Football’s roster was seemingly set to begin camp next week after the final remaining 2024 recruits made it to campus this month.

However, on Thursday, On3 Sports’ Sean Fitz reported that 2025 defensive end Max Granville, a top commit from Penn State’s 2025 recruiting class from Texas, will reclassify to the 2024 class and arrive on campus ahead of fall camp opening next week.

Penn State Football, Tom Allen — Penn State Nittany Lions defensive coordinator Tom Allen (Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports)

Defensive end Max Granville out of Sugar Land, Texas was the number 21 overall linebacker and number 28 player in Texas in the 2025 class, according to 247 Sports, before reclassifying.

Granville was the number three recruit in Penn State’s 2025 class, which now sits at 21 commits after Granville’s reclassification and ranks 13^th in the nation.

Why Max Granville Reclassifying is a Boost for Penn State Football

This offseason, Penn State’s defensive end room has seen ups and downs, losing Zuriah Fisher for a significant time with an undisclosed injury out of spring practice and seeing the transition of linebacker Abdul Carter to the position.

At Big Ten media days, however, Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin muddied the waters even more with those situations, announcing that Penn State will choose a position for Carter between linebacker and defensive end on a “week to week” basis and that Penn State expects Zuriah Fisher to return to action for Penn State later this fall.

No matter how either of those situations turn out, however, Granville’s reclassification is massive news for Deion Barnes and Penn State as the Nittany Lions lock up one of their top overall defensive targets and get him on campus to play with the team this fall.

The extra season of development in Penn State’s weight program and on the field could be vital as the Nittany Lions could be looking to replace two starting defensive ends once again next offseason if everything goes according to plan for Carter and Dani Dennis-Sutton.

While Granville may not immediately contribute in Penn State’s defensive end room, being around both Carter and Dennis-Sutton this season could be important for his development, watching two potential day one or two NFL draft picks work on a daily basis. Granville joins fellow freshman Xavier Gilliam, Jaylen Harvey, and Mylachi Williams as the new faces in Deion Barnes defensive end room when camp opens next week for the Nittany Lions.