Who will lead Penn State football’s defense in 2026? Projecting the stat leaders
Penn State will have a new-look defense in 2026 with a former Nittany Lion player leading the way in coordinator D’Anton Lynn. Lynn is expected to use multiple fronts to allow his group to morph from week to week based on the opponent.
Who will produce the most sacks, interceptions and tackles for loss in the group? Let’s take a look.
Projected sack leaders
DE Yvan Kemajou: 7.5 sacks
DE Alexander McPherson: 5.5 sacks
DE Max Granville: 4.5 sacks
Penn State has a relatively unknown group of pass rushers, with the defense relying on several young players to take a step forward — and these are three of those young players.
Kemajou was overshadowed last season by fellow freshman Chaz Coleman (who transferred to Tennessee before he was medically disqualified this spring) but has a strong chance of having a better career than his classmate. Kemajou is big and strong with the athleticism to win on the edge, even if he isn’t an elite athlete. He recorded 1.5 sacks last year, but he should be on the field much more this year thanks to his versatility, and should see a spike in production because of that.
McPherson is joining the program from Colorado, where he was a situational player as a freshman. He’s a good athlete who has the versatility to play multiple spots along the defensive front, with the upside to be a top-flight pass rusher for the Nittany Lions. He only had a half-sack last season, but like Kemajou his increase in playing time will propel his production forward this year.
Granville is coming off multiple injuries but is primed to have a good year in his third season as a Nittany Lion. He’s primarily a pass rusher and should have a defined role as a player who can come off the edge and make plays in the backfield. He has bulked up this offseason, which should help against the run, too, but that doesn’t change that he’s still at his best when he’s chasing after quarterbacks.
Projected interception leaders
S Marcus Neal: 3 interceptions
CB Audavion Collins: 2 interceptions
CB Zion Tracy: 2 interceptions
Interceptions are much tougher to project than most defensive stats because there’s much more randomness involved — and because great corners may not be thrown at enough to pick off any passes.
That’s why Neal — a safety — is at the top of the list. He had two interceptions last year in a breakout sophomore campaign at Iowa State and should be able to take another step forward this year. He has a nose for the ball when it’s in the air, and his usage should help him pick off some passes this year. He’ll likely be a chess piece for Lynn and should line up all over the place — putting him in position to make plays.
The other two spots go to two of the team’s projected starting corners, with Collins on the outside and Tracy in the slot (although Tracy’s usage could be similar to Neal’s when it comes to being used in various roles). They combined for three interceptions in 2024 but didn’t have any 2025 in what was a down year for most of the defense. This should be a bounce-back in that regard, with those two and Daryus Dixson combining to form one of the best cornerback rooms in the Big Ten this season.
Projected tackles for loss leaders
DE Yvan Kemajou: 11.5 tackles for loss
LB Caleb Bacon: 10 tackles for loss
LB Tony Rojas: 7.5 tackles for loss
Getting sacks will help here, but there are also a couple of linebackers who should make enough plays on the quarterback and in the running game to crack the top three.
This still starts with Kemajou, though, who is the projected sack leader. His size and strength will allow him to be an all-around defensive end and make plays in the running game. He’s going to have more opportunities than most because there isn’t a great reason to take him off the field no matter what the situation requires from a player at his position.
Bacon is another player who has the versatility to play multiple spots for Lynn. He could line up in the box as an off-ball linebacker, or he could play off the edge as a pass rusher. Either way, he has a high football IQ and should find himself in position to make plays no matter what the opponent calls.
Rojas is one of the best athletes on the defense and as long as his recovery from a torn ACL doesn’t hamper that athleticism, he should be one of the best playmakers on the defense. That means a good mix of stops in the backfield in the running game and sacks to get him to this TFL total.
