Penn State football will have one of its defenders returning to boost what looks like a star-studded team in 2025.
Junior defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton has joined a handful of Nittany Lion teammates in recently announcing his return for a final college season rather than heading to the NFL. In the days since their College Football Playoff semifinal loss to Notre Dame, defensive tackle Zane Durant, running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen and Dennis-Sutton have now released their intentions of returning.
Quarterback Drew Allar and safety Zakee Wheatley announced their return decisions earlier in the postseason.
Dennis-Sutton, who played perhaps the top game of his college career in the CFP loss to the Fighting Irish, announced his status Monday via social media.
The 6-foot-5, 266-pound Delaware native peaked during Penn State’s postseason drive, regaining his impressive pass-rushing speed and power after a midseason injury. He totaled 16 tackles in three CFP games, including that dominating effort in the Orange Bowl.
In that game, he intercepted a fourth-quarter pass, forced a fumble and made two sacks as part of his six-tackle effort. He also registered 1.5 sacks in the opening CFP victory over SMU.
Overall this season, Dennis-Sutton was second on the team in tackles for loss (13) and sacks (8.5) despite missing much of the Wisconsin victory and Ohio State loss due to an undisclosed lower-body injury. He tied for the team-lead with Abdul Carter with nine quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles.
Dennis-Sutton, in part, said this on his social media post announcing his return:
“We were on the brink of greatness, and that taste of what could be has only made me hungrier. The job’s not done yet — we’ve got unfinished business to take care of together.
“I’m coming back more determined than ever to dominate on the field, chase that elusive championship, and leave my mark on this legendary program.”
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Dennis-Sutton, a former five-star recruit from the McDonogh School in Owings Mills, Maryland, made an early impact at Penn State with top backup minutes as a true freshman and sophomore in 2022-23 before taking over a full-time role this past fall.
Frank Bodani covers Penn State football for the York Daily Record and USA Today Network. Contact him at fbodani@ydr.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @YDRPennState.
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Dani Dennis-Sutton returns to Penn State football, Big Ten in 2025
