The Nittany Lions went to the Cyclone Portal for perhaps the final time earlier this evening, landing former Iowa State defensive lineman Ikenna Ezeogu. Ezeogu is 6-foot-5, 285 pounds and has played a lot of football for the Cyclones. He originally came to Ames as a 220-pound defensive end, but transformed his body with 60+ […]
The Nittany Lions went to the Cyclone Portal for perhaps the final time earlier this evening, landing former Iowa State defensive lineman Ikenna Ezeogu.
Ezeogu is 6-foot-5, 285 pounds and has played a lot of football for the Cyclones. He originally came to Ames as a 220-pound defensive end, but transformed his body with 60+ pounds to play in Iowa State’s three-man front. After a redshirt season to gain much of said weight, Ezeogu has been a consistent contributor on the defensive line, playing at least 250 snaps in all three seasons from 2023-2025. His best season came this past fall, when he averaged 47 snaps per game and finished the year with 25 tackles, 3 TFLs, and 1 sack.
The question for Ezeogu is where does he fit in a four-man defensive front? He’s kind of maxed out his frame to get up to 285, so even as a 3-tech, he’d be on the smaller end of things. Does he drop some weight and play defensive end, with the hopes that the weight loss will lead to a bit more burst and quicker first step to become more of a pass rusher?
My bet is on Ezeogu slimming down to 265-270 and playing defensive end, largely because that’s where Penn State probably needs him more. At defensive tackle, Penn State brought in four transfers with real P4 playing experience, and they have intriguing third year guys like Liam Andrews and De’Andre Cook potentially making a leap as well.
The room at defensive end, though, doesn’t look as deep. As things currently stand, Yvan Kemajou, Max Granville coming off a season-ending injury, and Colorado transfer Alex McPherson (16 tackles, 0.5 sacks) are the leading trio for snaps. That’s a talented group that *could* turn into a strength, but man, that’s a lot of inexperience and the depth behind them isn’t stellar either. So while I don’t expected Ezeogu to offer much in the way of pass rushing, he’s a big body who’s played a lot of football and perhaps has some untapped upside if he loses 20 pounds.
With Ezeogu, here’s what a potential depth chart looks like:
DE: Yvan Kemajou (SO) — Ikenna Ezeogu (RS SR) — Mason Robinson (RS JR)/Lavar Arrington II (SO)
DE: Max Granville (RS SO) — Alex McPherson (SO) — Dayshaun Burnett (RS FR)
*Prayer circle to get Lavar II to edge*
Category: General Sports
