Injuries are always a threat to any team’s aspirations; just ask the 2025 Penn State football team how things went after they lost Tony Rojas and Drew Allar in quick succession.

An injury bug hasn’t quite hit the 2026 team yet, even with some minor ailments throughout non-conference play, but the first long-term injury to an important player came in practice last week, when Matt Campbell ruled Max Granville out for the season in his postgame press conference on Saturday.

It’s a big blow not only for Granville, who will now have to recover from a long-term injury for the second consecutive season, but also for Penn State’s hope of rushing the passer this season.

Granville was one of the team’s most utilized edge rushers in Week 1 against Marshall, and now leaves the unit a bit thin as the end of non-conference play nears.

“It’s really tough losing a guy like Max [Granville]; more than what his capability and high-end ceiling is, it’s just what he’s already done,” Campbell said at his weekly press conference on Tuesday. “Nobody worked harder to get back and be on the field, and that’s a gut punch; it was a gut punch for the staff, and it was a gut punch for him.”

It’s going to be a work in progress to replace him properly and build a good rotation, but the coaching staff believes there’s more than enough depth to make up for it.

“I think the great thing is that room; we feel really confident about the depth,” Campbell said.

“With Max [Granville] in there, we were rotating about five guys, and Liam [Andrews] has kind of been a sixth rotational piece in there, so I think what happens now is that guys like Jackson Ford, Liam [Andrews], and their ability to continue to progress forward — they’re going to get some great opportunities.”

Granville was part of a rotation with several other edge rushers who’ve popped in practice and in prior seasons, but all have the same room to improve.

Andrews, typically an interior lineman, could get more work on the outside, while true freshman Ford, the only recruit who didn’t decommit after James Franklin’s firing, could also factor in after just four snaps through two games.

Against Temple, Granville’s injury meant more snaps for guys like Ikenna Ezeogu and Alex McPherson, while Caleb Bacon and Yvan Kemajou gained even more importance.

“Yvan [Kemajou] had a couple of great rushes; I think he continues to show steady progress as a high-end football player there,” Campbell said about players stepping up on Saturday. “Obviously, we saw what Caleb Bacon can do, and [Alex] McPherson, I think, has continued to play good football.”

The coaching staff isn’t the only ones who believe in the unit’s ability to overcome the injury; the players do too. The most impactful edge rusher through two weeks, the converted linebacker, Bacon, is confident the group can embrace the opportunity.

“Super tough situation for Max, really feel for that guy, but it just gives our other defensive ends in the room a chance to really step up and play for their moment,” Bacon said. “College ball is just something that you’re going to get injuries all the time, so it’s a tough situation, but you need those guys to step up.”

Saturday’s game against Buffalo, in which the Nittany Lions are massive favorites, will serve as a good audition before conference play begins with the Homecoming Game on Saturday, September 26, against Wisconsin.

If it goes the way Campbell and company want, plenty of guys will get an audition throughout the game.

“I just feel like that group’s got a chance to make tremendous strides each week as they gain confidence in this system and certainly this front,” said Campbell.