It has been a career year for Penn State football defensive tackle Zane Durant.

The junior has set career-highs in tackles, tackles for loss, and sacks this season and will look to add to his totals against Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl on Thursday night.

Durant’s jump in production comes in Tom Allen’s first year as the Nittany Lions defensive coordinator and that’s not a consequence. As the head coach at Indiana, Allen heavily recruited Durant as a high school recruit, so much so that the Orlando, Florida, native considered becoming a Hoosier.

When Allen became Penn State’s defensive coordinator in December 2023, Durant was already familiar with his new coach.

“I was kind of close with Tom,” Durant said. “He recruited me when he was at Indiana, and I was actually thinking about going to Indiana during my recruitment. I knew him, and my family [knew him], so I already had a pretty good idea of who he was and what type of guy he was. So, nothing really surprised me when he came in.”

For Allen, getting to coach the rising star defensive tackle was a “full circle” moment.

“He came on an official visit to Indiana, his family and I just thought he was going to be a great player,” Allen said. “We loved him. We thought he was going to be a really special player there [at Indiana] and got to know him really well. So, the chance for us to come full circle and to get a chance to coach him is really special.”

Durant was a four-star recruit out of Lake Nona High School. Standing at 6’1″ and 252 pounds, Durant was seen as undersized for the defensive tackle position, but Allen felt Durant would fit well in his defense.

Although Durant didn’t commit to Allen and Indiana, he said he was drawn to Allen’s recruiting pitch and even poked fun at Allen when he joined Penn State.

“We talked about it a little bit. I trolled him a little bit. I said, ‘Dang coach, you’re following me’ and he started laughing,” Durant said. “His pitch when I was at [visiting] Indiana was that I’m a playmaker and that they’d love to have me on the defense. They’ll find a way to use me. He won me there and he didn’t have to sell me on any of the other stuff. He kept it straightforward and was honest from the jump.”

Not only has Allen helped Durant improve on the field since joining the Nittany Lions, but he has also helped him improve off the field. Durant said he has learned life lessons from Allen and said the defensive coordinator helps him stay calm in stressful situations.

“He helped me grow as a man, just life lessons and how to go about things,” Durant said. “When things don’t go your way, he keeps reminding me to stay the course and that everything happens for a reason. He keeps me level-headed when I’m hot or if I’m feeling down, he’ll come pick me up.”

Durant ultimately chose Happy Valley over Bloomington and said he’s glad he did so. Allen joining the program in Durant’s third season is just the cherry on top.

“It’s everything I thought it would be. Football-wise, town-wise, it’s really a whole community that everybody is bought into,” Durant said. “Penn State has been a perfect fit for me. It has helped me develop as a man not just as a boy and given me challenges for life and real-world problems.”

Now, Allen and Durant are tasked with stopping an explosive Notre Dame rushing attack behind a stiff offensive line. Notre Dame’s head coach Marcus Freeman said Wednesday that he expects star running back Jeremiyah Love to play and slowing down quarterback Riley Leonard is no easy task.

For Durant and Penn State’s defense, the gameplan doesn’t change against the Fighting Irish’s dynamic run game, led by a mobile quarterback like Leonard.

“It’s really about pass rushing lanes, so being disciplined in your pass rush. Rushing as a unit all together and not rushing on each own’s accord,” Durant said.

James Franklin said he expects Abdul Carter to play Thursday night but if the projected first-round pick isn’t 100%, Durant’s performance becomes even more impactful. But that’s not anything new for him.

“We talk to coaches after we play them and oftentimes, he’s the guy they mentioned. He’s the one that was so disruptive. He’s the one they couldn’t block. He’s the one that caused a lot of issues,” Allen said of Durant.

Despite his career season, Durant isn’t satisfied. He’s always finding ways to improve, and the Orange Bowl is another opportunity to do just that.

“Me personally, I think I have a lot to improve on,” Durant said. “I’m not saying this is the best ball I’ve been playing all year. I’ve still got room to grow. I’ve been critical of myself on things I need to get better to be more productive as a defensive tackle.”