Blue chip Penn State football commit, son of ex-NFL LB joins progam after reclassifying to 2024

Penn State took to the practice field for the first time in the 2024 season on Wednesday afternoon. While yesterday’s practice was our first chance to measure the offseason progress of the program’s returning contributors, it was also an opportunity to get an opening look at the new Nittany Lions who joined the team this summer. The most recent addition to the roster, former Fort Bend Christian Academy (Texas) defensive end Max Granville, is less than a week into his Penn State football career.

Granville joins the Nittany Lions after reclassifying to the class of 2024 last Thursday. Previously a member of the 2025 cycle, the four-star edge rusher committed to Penn State in June. Granville chose Penn State over Oklahoma and Texas A&M.

“This was always Max’s decision [to reclassify], but in terms of development, if the goal is to keep getting better, from my perspective, it was like a no-brainer,” said Granville’s father, Billy Granville, who played linebacker for the Cincinnati Bengals for four seasons. Billy Granville played his college football at Duke under defensive coordinator Jeff McInerney, who is now an analyst for the Nittany Lions under Tom Allen. 

Max Granville is listed at 6-3, 225 pounds on the latest Penn State football roster. He will wear No. 18, the same number worn by his new position coach, Deion Barnes, when he was a Nittany Lion.

Freshman DE Max Granville (18) reclassified and enrolled last week pic.twitter.com/bJM2wjSsx3

— Audrey Snyder (@audsnyder4) July 31, 2024

“I want a coach who isn’t afraid to get after me when I need it,” Granville said. “That’s what I need to get better; Coach Barnes is going to bring the best out of me.”

Granville was a top 200 prospect and the No. 19 linebacker nationally in the 2025 cycle when he committed to the Nittany Lions. Now, the On3 Industry Rankings rate him as the No. 28 edge and No. 243 recruit in the 2024 class.

Pair of Penn State football defenders placed on suspension to start 2024 season

Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports

Max Granville’s arrival can potentially help soften the blow of a setback on the defensive side of the ball for the Nittany Lions. The biggest storyline coming out of Wednesday’s first practice was the absence of sophomore defensive end Jameial Lyons and redshirt freshman linebacker Kaveion Keys.

It was later revealed that the pair of defenders had been placed on an “interim suspension,” according to a Penn State football spokesperson. As of Thursday morning, no additional details surrounding the circumstances or timeline of the suspensions are public.

While neither Lyons nor Keys are projected to start in 2024, depth is front of mind at both linebacker and defensive end this year. Time will tell if either defender joins the Nittany Lions when the 2024 season starts on the road at West Virginia at the end of the month.

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