Penn State football news: Star pass rusher out for season after suffering injury in practice appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Penn State will be without defensive end Max Granville for the remainder of the 2026 season after head coach Matt Campbell announced following Saturday's 27-9 win over Temple that the redshirt sophomore suffered a season-ending injury in practice earlier this week. Campbell did not reveal the nature of the injury.
Granville missed action against the Owls after returning to action in the Nittany Lions season-opening win over Marshall. He was seen in street clothes during pregame activities before the Temple game and did not participate in warmups.
The injury is another setback for Granville , who missed the entire 2025 season because of a knee injury suffered during the previous summer while at home in Texas . He also missed spring practices this year because of a separate back issue. His latest injury means he will miss a second consecutive season after previously appearing in seven games as a true freshman in 2024.
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Granville arrived at Penn State earlier than originally planned after reclassifying from the 2025 recruiting class to the 2024 class. The Sugar Land, Texas, native was a consensus four-star recruit and made seven appearances as a freshman. He received playing opportunities during the Nittany Lions College Football Playoff run, including the Fiesta Bowl after Abdul Carter was injured.
His return against the Thundering showed why Penn State expected him to become a crucial part of its defensive-end rotation. Granville played 22 defensive snaps, with 16 coming as a pass rusher and six against the run. He recorded a quarterback hit and a hurry while also breaking up a pass. Pro Football Focus credited him with a 54.2 overall defensive grade, including a 57.1 pass-rushing grade.
Granville had also received praise from the Nittany Lions coaching staff throughout the offseason and was included on the preseason Comeback Player of the Year Watch List. He entered the year expected to develop into one of the program's leading edge threats.
Granville's absence now creates additional opportunities for Yvan Kemajou, Ikenna Ezeogu, Caleb Bacon and Alexander McPherson . Kemajou produced a sack versus Temple, while Ezeogu finished with three tackles and one quarterback hurry. McPherson had one tackle.
Bacon also made his presence felt as a pass rusher after racking up six tackles and three tackles for loss in the opener while earning co-Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Penn State improved to 2-0 and will host Buffalo on Sept. 19 at Beaver Stadium to close its non-conference schedule.
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