Every year, Penn State football has an absolute game-changer at the defensive end or linebacker position. Last season, it was Abdul Carter, before him was Micah Parsons, and so on and so forth.

Now, it’s Dani Dennis-Sutton’s turn.

The senior defensive end wreaked havoc on the Nevada Wolf Pack in Penn State’s first game, totaling five tackles, including four solo tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, a pass breakup, a quarterback hurry, and a sack. He also had two forced fumbles, the first Penn State defender to accomplish that feat in a single game since Micah Parsons.

“His motor is always at 100. From the snap to the whistle, he plays his tail off,” Franklin said. “Usually when you play hard, good things happen. You keep running to the ball, you’re going to end up making a play, either a tackle for loss, sack, or a play down the field, where you put it all on tape and impress everybody.”

Dennis-Sutton mirrored this sentiment in his post-game interview, saying there is often a reward for constant effort by a defensive player. He also mentioned that all he can do is go out and give it his all, where he turns that motor into a habit.

The Nittany Lion was seemingly everywhere on the field, helping his team in all facets of the defensive game plan. Turnovers win football games, and Dennis-Sutton can win the ball back for the Nittany Lions at any time.

In the very first drive, Dennis-Sutton punched the ball out of Nevada running back Ky Woods’ arms for his first forced fumble. The turnover stopped a promising opening drive for the Wolf Pack and turned it into a Penn State offensive touchdown just minutes later.

In the third quarter, a similar story ensued, where the Nittany Lion forced the ball out of Herschel Turner’s arms, again leading to a Penn State touchdown.

“It’s something we practice every single day. Coach Franklin takes pride in turnovers for the defense. So, I think for five or 10 minutes every day, we do a turnover [drill] where we’re punching the ball out. I just saw the ball and punched the ball out both times,” Dennis-Sutton said postgame.

It’s clear Dennis-Sutton expects himself to get better every week, as he credited his own offseason preparation.

Although, as an upperclassman, he recognizes that it’s not just about himself. On the opposite side, Penn State was missing Zuriah Fisher, the prospective starter at the second defensive end spot, with a lingering injury. Dennis-Sutton has stepped up as a leader this offseason for the young defensive ends on the roster, specifically Chaz Coleman and Jaylen Harvey.

“This whole summer, I tried to take them along, get Jaylen Harvey and Chaz Coleman to be specific. Compete with them during summer workouts, teaching spring ball, and then obviously we’re competing during training camp, so it felt good to see them out there and make some plays,” Dennis-Sutton said. “Obviously, it’s going to take a little bit of learning for them to get out there and be 100% comfortable, but I think I did my job as a big brother throughout the offseason to get them ready.”

The senior went on to say that he sees himself in Coleman and Harvey and says that the two freshmen continuously look to him for advice and general knowledge about the game.

This mentorship between upperclassmen and younger players is one of the reasons why there seems to be a pipeline of successful edge rushers and linebackers coming from Penn State’s program. The same program that put Carter in New York with the Giants as the No. 3 draft pick and Parsons, who was recently made the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.