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Penn State Football 2018 Player Preview: DE Yetur Gross-Matos

By Collin Wieder

COLLEGE PARK, MD - NOVEMBER 25: Quarterback Max Bortenschlager #18 of the Maryland Terrapins gets off a pass while being pressured by defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos #99 of the Penn State Nittany Lions in the second quarter at Capital One Field on November 25, 2017 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
COLLEGE PARK, MD - NOVEMBER 25: Quarterback Max Bortenschlager #18 of the Maryland Terrapins gets off a pass while being pressured by defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos #99 of the Penn State Nittany Lions in the second quarter at Capital One Field on November 25, 2017 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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Penn State football continues to build depth on the defensive line. Yetur Gross-Matos adds another athletics pass rusher to the mix.

It seems almost unfair how many guys can rotate in for Penn State football in the trenches. It’s an abundance of pass rushers and run stuffers with an array of skills that no team can match. Instead of relying on one, two or three players to get after the QB, Penn State’s D-Line attacks with depth and fresh legs. Yetur Gross-Matos stands out as another cog in this endless rotation.

In his freshman year, Gross-Matos became a problem for offenses. He only racked up 17 tackles, two for loss and 1.5 sacks, but he showed a high ceiling. Gross-Matos’s biggest attribute has to be his motor. For much of his tackles, he turned and tracked a runner down from behind.

Defensive ends usually aren’t athletic enough to keep up once the play hits the second level of the defense. However, the 6-foot-5, 262-pound phenom flashed the speed and range to clean up plays. Re-watching his highlights, he takes smart pursuit angles to corral runners 10 yards down the field.

In addition, the star lineman improved as the season wore on. He recorded just four tackles in the season’s first three games. After making standout plays late in games, he picked up more snaps as the season progressed. The true sophomore made big plays when it mattered, capping a quality freshman year with his first career unassisted sack on Washington’s Jake Browning in the fourth quarter of the Fiesta Bowl.

As a four-star prospect, the Nittany Lions’ coaching staff expected him to get on the field quickly. He did that in his true freshman season. Penn State’s diverse defensive line returns so many players that its bound to be one of the best in the nation. Gross-Matos earned All-Freshman Team Honorable Mention honors for his debut campaign.

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With a year under his belt and almost the entire defensive line returning, expect Penn State’s defense to terrorize Big Ten teams.

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