Penn State expecting DE Zuriah Fisher to have buzz-worthy year off injury, says James Franklin

This week, the major news surrounding Penn State football was the injury to rising redshirt freshman defensive end Max Granville. While Granville’s loss is a critical blow to the young Nittany Lions pass rush, buried below the headlines is the value Penn State believes it is gaining from the return of redshirt senior Zuriah Fisher.

“I think internally, within our program, I think there’s a lot of confidence that Fish has got a chance to have a big year,” James Franklin said on Thursday. “He’s like one of those guys that I don’t think anybody’s talking about right now, outside of the program, based on just not seeing him recently. But there’s a lot of excitement internally, with our players, with our staff. I think those things are really apparent.

“And again, you’re talking about another older, mature guy that’s had some adversity that he’s had to overcome, both from a football perspective, as well as some personal stuff as well. I think he’s got a really bright future. I think he’s going to have a chance to have a really, really big year to cap it off. I think technically he has two years left, so we’ll see how all that plays out. But, we’re excited about what he’s going to be able to do for our defense this year and for our team.”

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Fisher returned to the field this spring after suffering a significant injury last April. In 2023, he appeared in all 13 games, making 17 tackles and 3.5 sacks.

With Granville sidelined, Fisher is now one of only four players in the Penn State defensive end room who has seen the field. He, along with senior Dani Dennis-Sutton, are the only two with extended playing time. As a result, the Nittany Lions will likely lean heavily on its two veteran pass rushers until the rest of the room gets some much-needed snaps under their belt.

“He is big. He is long. He’s athletic. He’s another one of these guys that’s like a skinny 260 pounds with super long arms,” Franklin said of Fisher. “So we feel really good about Dani and Fish being two veteran guys. Obviously, Dani with a little bit more playing experience, but I think Fish is going to surprise some people. I could see by the midpoint of next year, there being a significant buzz about him.”

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