Pair of Penn State Defenders on Interim Suspension

Penn State football’s first fall practice was standard for the most part.

Media was allowed to view between 15-20 minutes of it, and there wasn’t anything too crazy to report from Holuba Hall Wednesday evening.

But the fact that two of Penn State’s promising second-year defenders are on interim suspension is noteworthy.

Audrey Snyder of the Athletic reported after the media’s viewing window that, per a Penn State spokesperson, DE Jameial Lyons and LB Kaveion Keys are each on an interim suspension “to deal with a personal matter.”

Coach James Franklin generally isn’t made available after the first fall practice but will be addressing media early Saturday afternoon at Penn State’s annual media day.

Snyder reported that PSU wouldn’t have any further comment, so it remains to be seen whether Franklin is asked about the matter.

Lyons is expected by many to breakout in his second season.

Initially, it looked like, even with Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac gone, Penn State would still be loaded enough at defensive end to make it challenging for Lyons to get a ton of playing time. Dani Dennis-Sutton is back from last season and expected to start, as is Abdul Carter, a first-team all-conference linebacker who Penn State moved to DE over the winter. Penn State also has veterans Amin Vanover and Zuriah Fisher on the depth chart, but Fisher suffered a serious injury during spring practice, which could provide opportunity for Lyons to get on the field faster. If Lyons can be a better version of what he was as a true freshman, there’s no reason he can’t continue to progress.

With Penn State running a 4-2-5, it can be argued that there’s less of an emphasis on the linebacker position. Rojas is projected by many to breakout this season, with Kobe King returning to what’s become a comfortable role at MIKE. Penn State also has veteran leader Dom DeLuca coming back, with Robinson also impressing as a young player.

Keys will likely compete with DeLuca for playing time at the SAM position.

Penn State’s first game— at West Virginia Aug. 31— isn’t for almost a month, and Penn State would certainly like to have these two back in the fold before then. It remains to be seen how long their interim suspensions will last.