STATE COLLEGE − No one has had a Penn State football start like Max Granville.
Just eight months ago he was training in the Texas heat.
He was 18, had just finished his junior year of high school.
And he was 25 pounds lighter.
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Granville certainly has traveled further and farther than most, in terms of his body and in miles, in hopes of becoming the next great Penn State pass rusher. He’s the youngest, most anticipated prospect at the position the school has become increasingly famous for, following the NFL successes of Odafe Oweh, Micah Parsons, Chop Robinson and this month’s possible No. 1 NFL Draft pick, Abdul Carter.
Few schools own that kind of edge-rushing pedigree, which made it all the more enticing for a national recruit like Granville to decide not only to sign with the Nittany Lions out of Sugar Land, Texas, but to join a year early.
Dec 31, 2024; Glendale, AZ, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Max Granville (18) and quarterback Drew Allar (15) enter the field before playing the Boise State Broncos in the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
As it turns out, his arrival has come at a most opportune time. The Lions are in need of a new, big-play starting defensive end as a finishing piece to what’s expected to be another College Football Playoff-leading defense.
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And so Granville’s progress, in particular, will be watched closely during these 15 spring practice sessions, ending in the annual Blue-White Game on April 26.
The tattoo, “NOW,” on his right wrist helps explain his dedicated, focused approach that’s carried him, impressively so, in his first eight months in college.
“Just being present. I feel it helps me not procrastinate as much,” he said this winter. “There’s a Bible verse that talks about making the most of your time … we’re not promised tomorrow. Be blessed with opportunity to live today.”
Penn State football: Why is Max Granville so promising?
Penn State defensive players Elliott Washington II (9), Dominic DeLuca (0) and Max Granville (18) celebrate a turnover in the first half of an NCAA football game against Ohio State, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in State College, Pa.
He’s attempted to seize-the-moment in all facets. Upon arriving in college he realized a need to change his physique as quickly as possible in order to hold up against Big Ten offensive tackles − to continue piling on pounds during the difficult weight-shredding season.
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His go-to dietary plan was simple and direct: Eat an unusually large amount of eggs.
Each day he’d find ways to go through an entire carton, six eggs in the morning, six more at night. Often, it was the packaged, hard-boiled variety at a place like Sheetz.
Convenience store eggs, “they’re pretty nasty, but that’s what I found help me put on the weight.
“I just grab them, sometimes with a fork, and just bite. Sometimes I take angle bites,” he said, a smile growing. “I’m usually on the phone with a friend or something (when I eat them). It’s tough. … It’s kind of like a mental challenge.”
But he credits that routine for helping him add more than 20 pounds since arriving at Penn State. He hopes to start summer preseason camp at around 252 − the same weight Carter played at last season.
Comparing him to Abdul Carter, Chop Robinson, Micah Parsons
His rapid high school progress, training regimen and national standing (ESPN ranked him as the No. 112 overall prospect and No. 16 outside linebacker) convinced him he was ready for college football. So why wait?
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He reclassified from the 2025 recruiting class to 2024, enrolled in Penn State, and arrived last August.
He was not lacking for confidence because everyone around him growing up, it seemed, had accomplished some version of what he wanted. His father played college football at Duke, then in the NFL for five years. Two uncles played at Illinois. His mother was a volleyball standout at N.C. State.
Even more? One older brother played college basketball in Indiana. Another is playing football at Illinois State.
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That helped him see his PSU path more clearly and embrace learning from his mentors, Carter and All-America candidate Dani Dennis-Sutton. He understood why he played in just three regular-season games, making only one tackle, to preserve his redshirt. By the time Penn State was running through the College Football Playoff he had elevated to Carter’s top backup.
He’s now priming to be the leader for that starting spot opposite of Dennis-Sutton. He’s created the most buzz among an intriguing group of unproven pass-rushers, from redshirt freshmen Mylachi Williams and Jaylen Harvey to junior transfer Enai White to oft-injured senior Zuriah Fisher.
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Granville just turned 19. He could easily still be in high school in Texas.
And teammates and coaches, like James Franklin, already are comparing his skills to Carter and Parsons, to the stars who came before him.
“It’s a blessing to be in those conversations, but I got to prove myself. I’m taking a humble approach,” Granville said quietly but without pause.
“It definitely made it more real for me just being around that greatness (with Carter). I saw his All-American photo and was, ‘Wow, I was really with one of the legends here.'”
Frank Bodani covers Penn State football for the York Daily Record and USA Today Network. Contact him at fbodani@ydr.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @YDRPennState.
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Penn State football: Micah Parsons to Abdul Carter to Max Granville
