The Nittany Lions are fresh off a beast 2024 season—13 victories, a Big Ten Championship Game appearance, and two College Football Playoff wins before losing to Notre Dame in the semifinals. Expectations? Through the roof. With most of last year’s core returning, plus a new coordinator in Jim Knowles (defense), folks in Happy Valley are whispering about whether this season is the year James Franklin finally breaks through and wins a national title for the Lions after nearly four decades. The largest cloud casting a shadow over the roster is injuries.

Defensive lineman Max Granville, a redshirt freshman projected to make a big jump this season, incurred a long-term injury while he was working out at home in Texas. Franklin announced the news with a voice filled with disappointment, labeled it “not an ideal situation,” and revealed his heartbreak for Granville and his family. Granville’s loss leaves the defensive line thinner by a bit and significantly younger, placing an additional burden on senior players like Dani Dennis-Sutton and Zuriah Fisher to make up the difference. However, the news isn’t all gloom—far from it.

James Franklin opens up about the recovery from injury of three key starters in a press conference on 5th June. “We anticipate all three to be cleared not only for camp but really for the bulk of the summer,” Franklin says. Three key starters who did not participate in spring ball—linebacker Tony Rojas, offensive tackle Anthony Donkoh, and tight end Andrew Rappleyea. That’s huge, particularly given how important these guys are.

Rappleyea, the tight end, injured himself before last season was really underway, but he’s been sending out videos of himself running sharp routes and looking good. Donkoh played 10 games at right tackle last year and is a pillar on the O-line. Rojas? He’s the Ironman linebacker who toughed out all 16 games last year with an upper-body injury and only missed spring ball due to a postseason procedure.

“If you guys attended a workout or watched, you wouldn’t have any idea if that makes sense, but there are some alterations either in the weight room or limitations on the field, but not all of them we expect to be in full go from day one of training camp,” James Franklin says. Yet he doesn’t entirely lift the hopes of the fans quite yet. He explains, “I don’t think all three of them at the moment are completely cleared. They would have some restrictions at the moment.” Franklin didn’t sugarcoat anything.

There are still a few small changes to their regimens. Perhaps Donkoh is adding some additional mobility exercises prior to slamming the sled, or Rojas is using a tweaked harness in the weight room to shield his shoulder. Rappleyea may be running routes at three-quarters tempo or emphasizing technique over full-contact practice. These are the types of adjustments that you only see if you’re looking. It means their rehab is spot on. Sports medicine and strength programs aim to return athletes to game speed without overpricing their re-entry into action. These adjustments prevent re-injury and allow the guys to build strength in the proper places.

Max Granville’s injury and James Franklin’s plans

It’s early June, and most of Penn State’s football talk is about big hopes, but a piece of bad news falls—one that strikes the heart of the defensive front. James Franklin comes forward at his weekly press conference and, with a somber tone, reports that Max Granville, the highly touted redshirt freshman defensive end, has incurred a long-term injury. Granville is a four-star signee, an early enrollee, and has already logged time on the field in seven games last year.

The coaching staff was stoked about his potential after he registered a tackle on Maryland. With Abdul Carter and a couple of other important defensive ends departing, Granville’s coaches touted him to become a bigger contributor and potentially a game-changer on the outside this season. The chance was present, and he was working diligently to grab the opportunity.

Granville’s injury did not occur during the heat of a game or an intense team practice, either. It occurred when he was exercising at home during summer break—one of those unfortunate, random moments that athletes dread. Coach James Franklin wouldn’t elaborate on what exactly happened or what the injury was, but his words told it all: “He got hurt over break at home, working out, so obviously not an ideal situation. And my heart breaks for the kid and the family. And obviously not what we wanted or needed.”

It’s a gut punch, not only for Granville but for the entire defensive unit. The timeline for his return remains unknown, and the team will need to scramble on the fly. Now, the depth chart at the defensive end isn’t quite so deep, and some of the young players are going to have to fill in a little sooner than anticipated. For the moment, Penn State fans are wishing their best for Max and hope he recovers strongly, and they are hoping to see who will step up in his absence. It’s a bad break, but it’s all part of the Nittany Lion spirit to come back stronger.