Pair of rising Penn State football defenders suspended to start 2024, per report

James Franklin and Penn State football kicked off the 2024 season Wednesday night. As the Nittany Lions prepare for preseason camp, a new report suggests the program may start the year without two promising young players on the defensive side of the ball. According to Blue White Illustrated’s Nate Bauer, sophomore defensive end Jameial Lyons and redshirt freshman linebacker Kaveion Keys will be suspended to start training camp.

Both Keys and Lyons were absent during Wednesday afternoon’s practice viewing session. Bauer’s report cites a Penn State football spokesperson who says the players are on an “interim suspension.” No timeline is given for a return.

A four-star prospect, Kaveion Keys was the No. 15 linebacker in the 2023 class per On3. In his true freshman season, Keys appeared in two games, recording one tackle. Last fall, he was the coaching staff’s developmental squad player of the year on defense and special teams.

In light of the turnover at linebacker this offseason, the opportunity is there for young Nittany Lions like Keys to vie for playing time during fall camp.

Also a four-star in the 2023 cycle, Jameial Lyons was a top 20 edge and the No. 3 prospect in Pennsylvania. Burning his redshirt last fall, Lyons made six tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss in eight games. While Penn State does have top-level talent at the position in Abdul Carter and Dani Dennis-Sutton, expectations are high for Lyons.

“I’ll start by saying Jameial has been a great surprise,” Penn State football strength coach Chuck Losey said last October. “I always knew Jameial was talented coming out of high school. Obviously, that’s why he’s here. But his strength, his overall strength, his total body strength is surprisingly very, very good for his build…[I’m] really happy with Jameial in all areas.”

Abdul Carter’s position versatility now becomes even more pivotal for Penn State football

Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

While loss of Lyons and Keys is a setback in terms of depth at linebacker and defensive end, one advantage for the Nittany Lions is star defender Abdul Carter, who can play both positions.

At Big Ten Media Days last week, James Franklin discussed how the coaching staff’s plan with Carter this season will be fluid.

“We have the flexibility to play him at both positions,” Franklin said. “He’s one of the unique athletes that was playing linebacker at 250 pounds. You never know how that transition is going to go, playing in space at the linebacker position compared to moving up to the line of scrimmage and having to go against the offensive tackles. He made the adjustment pretty quickly.

“At the end of the day, you’re talking about one of the more explosive, physical athletes in all of college football. We think he has the ability to make a significant impact. Week to week, we’ll decide where he’ll have the most impact for us, whether it’s on the line of scrimmage at defensive end or in the linebacker position. This spring, he stayed mainly at defensive end to get comfortable with that, and then after that we had a really good conversation, and he’s open to doing both.

“That will also put us in a position where people can’t game plan and know exactly where he’s going to be on the defense. So we’re excited about that.”

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