Following No. 13 Penn State football's victory over Temple in Week 2, head coach Matt Campbell revealed that Max Granville sustained a season-ending injury. This marks Granville's second injury of that nature, which is unfortunate for both the young edge rusher and the Nittany Lions' defensive end room.
With defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn, Penn State has implemented more of a four-down front or a 4-3 scheme that features two defensive ends at the line sandwiching the two defensive tackles. Caleb Bacon made the transition over from linebacker to edge rusher, which has given the Nittany Lions a huge boost along the edge, but Bacon can't be the only superstar anchoring at the end of the trenches.
Granville's absence means there's a huge hole in that defensive front, but it also means there's a huge opportunity for another edge rusher. That opportunity might be for Yvan Kemajou to lose.
Edge rusher Yvan Kemajou could fill Max Granville's role in 2026
In 2025 as a true freshman, Kemajou played in 11 contest and logged 13 tackles (six solo), five tackles for loss, a sack and a half, and one pass defended. So far in 2026, he's totaled four tackles, two tackles for loss, and a sack.
Against Buffalo in Penn State's Week 3 non-conference win, Kemajou tallied a tackle for loss and two quarterback hurries. He was part of the reason why quarterback Jason Wright was just nine-for-21 in the first 30 minutes of the contest, and he held wide receiver Chance Morrow to just one catch. Morrow has 20 receptions for 249 yards and five touchdowns on the season for the Bulls.
The defensive end room over in Happy Valley isn't shallow in terms of talent, but injuries are forcing players to step up. LaVar Arrington II will also miss some time due to knee surgery he received prior to the season. That leaves Ikenna Ezeogu and Alexander McPherson as the other edge rushers who could have more of a role, excluding Kemajou, in Lynn's defense, but consistency and stability at the edge is critical as the Nittany Lions enter Big Ten play in Week 4.
Lynn has also taken a more aggressive approach on defense, blitzing 65.9 percent of the time, which leads the Big Ten currently. That doesn't mean the pass rush has been ultra successful, however. In fact, Buffalo felt confident passing on third-and-long and the Nittany Lions only tallied one sack on Saturday. If Lynn wants to continue this aggressive pass rush throughout the season, that front must get to the quarterback more.
Kemajou didn't take Wright down in Week 3, but getting to him a couple times counts for something. That sort of pressure is what Penn State needs off the edge, and if Kemajou can settle into that role sooner rather than later, the absence of Granville won't be too stark by the time the Nittany Lions meet USC and Michigan.
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