Recently, James Franklin and his coaches opened the new Lasch Football Building, a physical representation of Penn State’s expansion and aspirations. Franklin’s optimism is right at its level, particularly with quarterback Drew Allar demonstrating a physical change that has impressed the coaches. The offensive line, under coach Phil Trautwein, is another area of relief, with five starters returning and aiming for the coveted Joe Moore Award, which has traditionally been a motivation for championship success. But while the offense is refining, the defense is maturing under new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, who came over from Ohio State.
Knowles is also famous for his physical, intricate schemes and has been laboring to impose his philosophy on the Nittany Lions’ defense. As much of the defense’s core has left due to injuries, such as redshirt freshman defensive end Max Granville, Knowles has been incorporating transfers and working to improve the current roster to maintain a strong defensive line. The performance of the defense will be the key to turning Penn State into a national championship candidate, particularly with the heat now on Franklin to break his “big game” curse. But with Max Granville out injured, who’s taking his place?
In a recent interview on the Locked on Nittany Lions, Jim Knowles cleared it up. Meet Zuriah Fisher. “I expect him to be one of those breakout guys, a guy who’s been limited in the past but has been around the program, has an incredible sense of maturity and what Penn State stands for and the culture, and you know he’s a real leader,” Knowles said. Knowles described a picture of a guy who’s been through the program for a while, a guy who understands Penn State’s culture to a great extent and is mature beyond his years.
Knowles continues, “We want him to enjoy that success on the field, so I think he’s going to have a breakout year.” Fisher has been with the Penn State program long enough now that he’s absorbed the culture and expectations of wearing the Nittany Lions jersey. The Pennsylvania product has quietly built a resume that shouts potential, even when injuries have hindered his development at times. Fisher’s breakout season is primed for success after his standout performance at Aliquippa, where he was a team captain and defensive MVP. Having sat out the entire 2024 campaign due to injury, Fisher is eager to catch up.
In 2023, Fisher played in 13 games, totaling 17 tackles, 3.5 sacks, a fumble recovery, and a quarterback hurry. He had glimpses of greatness, such as his solo sack against Northwestern and a vital fumble recovery against Iowa. Fisher’s familiarity with the system and toughness of mind make him an ideal candidate to fill in for the larger role of Max Granville. Additionally, Fisher’s hometown ties bring an emotional element—he’s not simply playing for any one team; he’s playing for his home state and hometown. Thus, he can be the X-factor that can get Penn State’s defense to an entirely new level this year, despite being challenged by underclassmen like Jaylen Harvey and the incoming freshmen.
Max Granville’s unexpected setback
Max Granville’s injury struck Penn State like a punch to the stomach right as the 2025 season was getting underway. The redshirt freshman defensive end who had been making waves since reporting early from Texas strained his “long-term” injury exercising at home over the summer break, completely out of the blue and certainly not the type of setback that anyone would have wanted. Coach James Franklin was devastated when he delivered the news. “Heart breaks for the kid and the family, and obviously not what we wanted or needed either,” Franklin said during an annual June press conference with his assistant coaches. “We were depending on (him) taking that next step this year.”
DC, Jim Knowles, also released a statement on the Locked on Nittany Lions, stating, “We feel bad for Max and thought he had a great spring, so I don’t think it changes things because we have a lot of depth at the end, but we certainly miss him.” Max redshirted early out of high school, reporting a year early, and soon began impressing on the defensive line. He participated in seven games last season, including important postseason games, and even assumed some of Abdul Carter’s third-down workload in the Fiesta Bowl. Defensive line coach Deion Barnes pointed out how Granville was maintaining his rhythm and displaying the characteristics of being a future star before the injury.
The injury creates a huge void on the defensive side, particularly with Penn State losing other starters, such as Abdul Carter and Amin Vanover, to the NFL, in addition to Smith Vilbert leaving via transfer. Granville was expected to compete for a starting spot opposite Dani Dennis-Sutton, who is a projected first-round NFL pick. “Other guys are going to have to step up now,” Franklin said. “We’ll see how that all plays out. Kind of early to say, at this stage.”
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