Know his name: Dennis-Sutton could be Lions' next star defender

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- People have been saying his name wrong all his life. An easy mistake, sure, which is why it made Dani Dennis-Sutton smile when asked what percentage of time people call him "Danny."

"Oh, like 90 percent," he said. "If you see it on paper, yeah, everybody says Danny."

It's pronounced "Duh-Nie," by the way, which most Penn State fans already know. And soon enough, he could be such a big star that everybody knows instinctively how to say his name, because they'll be hearing it all the time.

Dennis-Sutton came to Penn State as one of the top recruits in the nation two years ago. The defensive end from McDonogh School was the No. 1 prospect in Maryland and No. 28 prospect in the nation, so there were tremendous expectations for his Nittany Lion career.

He has played very well for two seasons, and was named third-team all-Big Ten this year. But as part of the No. 1 defense in the country, he's been in the shadows of the likes of fellow defensive ends Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac.

Come next year, however, with those two heading to the NFL, nobody will be standing in the way of Dennis-Sutton becoming a superstar for Penn State.

"I always set high expectations for myself," Dennis Sutton said when asked about becoming the Lions' next defensive star. "I don't think I'm anywhere really where I should be or where I can be. I think I got to keep working on that in practice.

"I think I've come a long way since I have gotten here or since (being) a high school recruit. ... But I think I have a lot of room to grow."

Dennis-Sutton has played in all 25 games through his first two seasons, proving he was indeed ready to go right from the start as an incoming freshman. He had three sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss, one interception and 17 tackles as a freshman, and this year he has 3.5 sacks, six tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and 23 tackles.

Where has he improved the most so far?

"I would say just my technique, first of all," he said, "learning from Coach (John) Scott and Coach Deion (Barnes). "My biggest thing in high school was I was just really high, my pads were super high, I would get punched in my chest. I think I've learned that throughout this season.

"Then as far as like off the field, and how that translates on the field, just my mental (approach) as far as being challenged. Like, winter workouts, you will really be challenged. Coach (Chuck) Lohse and the strength and conditioning coaches, they do a great job of challenging you, not just physically, but mentally, as well."

Robinson was a third-team All-American this year and is projected to be a first-round draft pick. Playing behind that caliber of player would help anyone, and Dennis-Sutton certainly learned a lot, specifically how to be ready on every single play.

"I learned that you've got to be consistent," he said. "Chop is consistently beating his man. Like, you don't see many times, if at all, in a game when Chop is losing any of his reps. He's winning consistently, and that's why he's gonna be a first-round draft pick. And that's what it takes. You can't just win two out of three. You have to win three out of three, especially if you want to be on that level that Chop is gonna be on."

Robinson has already declared for the draft and is opting out of the Peach Bowl. So Saturday's game against Ole Miss will give Dennis-Sutton a chance to start and showcase what he can do against a team that will be throwing the ball a lot.

"When you get the opportunity, you gotta take advantage of it," Dennis-Sutton said. "I think I've done that in opportunities that I've had this season."

Coming back next year, there will be no Chop or Isaac. Dennis-Sutton will be the main man on the defensive line, the guy who will be the focal point of offenses and one of the faces of Penn State's defense.

Is he ready for all of that?

"To me, it's just the next step, that's all it really is," Dennis-Sutton said. "It's nothing that I'm necessarily looking forward to, it's just the next step in my process or next step that I'm going to take.

"I felt as though I played pretty much starter starter snaps this year. I mean, even though I was technically the third D-end behind Chop and Adisa, reasonably, I pretty much played starter snaps."