No. 16 Penn State football has a handful of players returning from injury at the start of this 2026 season, including linebacker Tony Rojas and safety Jeremiah Cooper who played in the Nittany Lions' (1-0) Week 1 contest vs. Marshall.
Tight end Gabe Burkle and linebacker Alex Tatsch are hopeful to return soon as well, so Penn State should look even stronger in these next few games as it takes on Temple, Buffalo, Wisconsin, and Northwestern. As Nittany Lions get back to full health, though, others are replacing them on the injury report.
Edge rusher LaVar Arrington II is one of them. He did not play in Saturday's game against the Thundering Herd and his father shared in an interview that he had a "setback and had to get his knee cleaned up."
Details on Arrington's injury didn't come out until Tuesday during head coach Matt Campbell's weekly press conference. According to Campbell, Arrington sustained an injury during fall camp and had "clean-up surgery," as reported by Tyler Donohue of Lions247. During Saturday's game, Arrington was on crutches on Penn State's sideline.
Campbell also projected the edge rusher having a four to six-week recovery timeline. That puts Arrington in a position to potentially return around Week 6 or 7 when the Nittany Lions play USC and Michigan, respectively.
Matt Campbell says sophomore edge rusher LaVar Arrington suffered an injury during preseason camp and ended up getting "clean-up surgery".
— Tyler Donohue (@TDsTake) September 8, 2026
Campbell projects his recovery timeframe at "4 to 6 weeks".
Arrington was using crutches on the field Saturday while sidelined. https://t.co/XzK2xdclzc
Matt Campbell projects defensive end LaVar Arrington II missing 4-6 weeks due to knee injury
With those two being some of the biggest games on Penn State's schedule, regardless of the Wolverines falling out of the Top 25 after a controversial Week 1 opening vs. Western Michigan, Campbell might opt to keep Arrington off the field until after the bye week. That will depend on Arrington's recovery, of course, as well as what that defensive end room looks like around that time of the season.
Even if Arrington gets out on the field for a few snaps before the bye, this non-conference slate was a perfect time for him to knock off some rust and prove himself as a valuable piece in the rotation. That group of edge rushers in Happy Valley is serious and trying to breakout in that competition isn't easy.
Caleb Bacon, Max Granville, Yvan Kemajou, Ikenna Ezeogu, and Alexander McPherson are all in that defensive end room. Bacon was the defensive star of Saturday's game, logging six total tackles (second-most on team), three tackles for loss, one sack, and one quarterback hurry. Ezeogu (two) and Granville (one) also got into the offensive backfield on Saturday.
That's not to say getting Arrington back won't be beneficial for the Nittany Lions. Having healthy players who can step up when their number is called is key, but meaningful snaps are important for young players looking to separate themselves from the pack. In general, it's also a pretty young defensive end room with eight of 11 being under classmen.
Arrington isn't the only Penn Stater in that room that made a position switch, but the difference between him and Bacon is stark. Arrington doesn't have many opportunities in the spotlight, and they decrease the further into the season the Nittany Lions get. Against the Trojans and Wolverines, Campbell will want his best out there on the field, and with an easy Big Ten schedule, the margin for error and mishap is basically nonexistent if Penn State wants a real shot at the College Football Playoff. The later into the season it gets, the harder it will be for Arrington to get out on the field enough to have an impact role.
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