Penn State ranks No. 3 on Greg McElroy's Top 10 defenses in college football list

ESPN analyst Greg McElroy has high praise for the Penn State defense, ranking the Nittany Lions at No. 3 on his top 10 defenses in college football list heading into the upcoming season.

“Number three is Penn State,” McElroy said. “Should be one of the best defenses in the country again this year, and I love the addition of Jim Knowles to defensive coordinator. I loved Tom Allen last year. I thought it would be almost impossible to adequately replace Tom Allen after he departed for Clemson, but knowing that Jim Knowles steps in makes me feel pretty confident about this group being aggressive, being sound, being solid and being stout against the run and really evaluating and developing talent throughout the season.”

Knowles, who was the defensive coordinator at Ohio State, was poached this offseason by rival Penn State following the departure of Tom Allen to Clemson. Under Knowles last season, the Buckeyes defense led the nation in points allowed (12.9 PTS/G) and yards allowed (254.6 YDS/G) en route to a National Championship.

“They did lose some really great players,” McElroy continued. “Kobe King at linebacker was amazing. And everybody knows how impossible it’s probably going to be to replace Abdul Carter off the edge. But, the return of Dani Dennis-Sutton and Zane Durant should allow for me to be a little less concerned.”

Penn State returns 53% of defensive production

Dennis-Sutton and Durant are two of the strongest returners to a defense that allowed just 16.5 points per game (8th best in NCAA) and 294.8 yards per game (seventh best in NCAA). They return 53% of their defensive production from last season.

“Dani Dennis-Sutton is a different player than Abdul Carter,” McElroy said. “He’s not gonna have 20 sacks. That’s not who he is. But he’s going to be really stout on the end of the line of scrimmage against the run and he will give you some pass rush from time to time. And they brought in some solid transfer additions there along the defensive line that should help bolster the unit as well.”

Although losing Abdul Carter, who was selected by the New York Giants with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, is a big deal, defensive coordinator Jim Knowles returns a very talented core group of players fresh off a College Football Playoff appearance.

“Losing Kobe King to the second level is very tough to replace his production, but Dom DeLuca and Tony Rojas have played a lot of football,” McElroy said. “And then the addition of Amare Campbell from North Carolina has got quite a lot of experience as well. And then on the backend, I really like their secondary. A.J. Harris might be one of the top corners in the country. Zakee Wheatley showed a lot of promise and growth last year at safety. The return of King Mack who transfers back from Alabama should be important for them as he continues to develop.”

“I love this coordinator, I love the personnel, I love some of the veteran leadership they have at all three levels defensively. I think this could be one of the best groups Penn State has had on defense in quite some time.”

McElroy’s entire list is below:

HM. Nebraska, South Carolina, Tennessee
10. Clemson
9. Oregon
8. Michigan
7. Oklahoma
6. Alabama
5. Notre Dame
4. Georgia
3. Penn State
2. Ohio State
1. Texas