Penn State Football: Is defensive end recruiting a concern?

Penn State Football currently has a top five recruiting class, but will one position hurt them this cycle?

Penn State Football has never really struggled to recruit pass rushers before, but it’s been a struggle so far in the 2023 cycle.

Neeo Avery, a one-time Penn State football commit, left the Nittany Lions off of his new top six list. Avery was considered to be close to the top of the defensive end recruiting board.

Another target, Mason Robinson, recently committed to Northwestern. What makes Robinson’s recruitment somewhat concerning is that he attends the McDonogh School in Maryland, arguably Penn State’s best pipeline.

So, two guys that once looked like locks for Penn State’s class are off the board, what now?

Well, the Nittany Lions do have a 4-star committed at defensive end in Jameial Lyons. Lyons is a talented player from Philadelphia who will definitely contribute at the next level.

The question is, will he contribute at defensive end or tackle? Already listed at 6-foot-4 and 255 pounds, he could eventually be forced to move inside if he continues to grow. Right now, he has good size for the edge and is athletic enough to play the position.

Lyons is a good start, but more is needed.

Linebacker target Ta’Mere Robinson may eventually end up at defensive end. He’s already listed at 6-foot-4 and seems to continue to grow. The 4-star from Pittsburgh has been a long-time target of the Nittany Lions and is one the staff would like to seal up soon.

If Penn State ends up with Lyons and Ta’Mere Robinson as the top defensive ends in the class, there probably won’t be much complaining from fans. The problem with these two is just the fact that they could end up playing different positions and Robinson isn’t even a commit.

A few new names have started to pop up as well. According to his 247 Sports profile, 4-star defensive end Jalen Thompson will visit Penn State this weekend. Being from Michigan, it may be tough to pull him away from the two in-state schools, but this will be Penn State’s opportunity.

This is a position that the staff will likely need to keep evaluating players at as the summer goes on and into the start of the season. Guys always pop off their senior year and emerge as Division-I caliber players.

There’s also the transfer portal. The Nittany Lions struck gold with Arnold Ebiketie last year and landed former 5-star recruit Demeioun Robinson this off-season. Edge rushers are always going to be in the portal.

Let’s also not forget that Penn State landed one of the nation’s best defensive ends in the 2022 cycle in Dani Dennis-Sutton. Depth is important, but Dennis-Sutton and Demeioun Robinson give the Nittany Lions two big-time options for at least the next two seasons.

Defensive end may be a bit of a concern in the 2023 class, but overall, the staff should be able to find at least two capable ones in this cycle and then focus on the portal if needed for 2023. In the long run, things should turn out just fine for a school that’s seen four defensive ends drafted in the last three NFL drafts.