Penn State picked up one of its most important commitments in the 2025 class last week with the addition of four-star edge rusher Max Granville . A native of Sugar Land, Texas, Granville had long been considered one of the staff’s key targets at defensive end, but there was also no shortage of competition.
In addition to his official visit to State College, Granville checked out Baylor, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and USC. As he admitted in an interview with Blue White Illustrated earlier this week , each school gave him a lot to think about. But in the end, it was Penn State’s culture and defensive scheme that helped get this recruitment over the line for the Nittany Lions.
To get a better feel for the details, we caught up with Granville’s father, Billy, who happened to play in the NFL for four seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. His perspective on why Penn State was ultimately the best fit for Max offered a lot of insight into not just the program’s culture but also how successful the staff has been at developing players just like his son in recent years.
In Part II of our Q&A, Granville discusses his son’s strengths, his ties to the Northeast and much more.
ICYMI: You can read Part I of our Q&A with Granville here.
Snyder: As someone who played in the NFL, when you watch your son, what do you think are his strengths? What comes naturally to him? Is there anything that stands out to you?
Granville: There are a lot of guys who are talented enough to play in the NFL or the NBA. There are people on the street who can play at that level. I think with Max, he has that mindset that he loves the game and that love is reflected in how he prepares and goes about his business. He has that love and borderline obsession, which is often what separates guys.
That love for the game may not sound sexy, but when I look at his biggest pro, it’s that. There will always be guys who excel because they’re complete freaks, right? But there are also a lot of other guys who may not be at that elite level athletically, but they’re hungry and they’re obsessed. That’s what I admire about him the most.
Of course, as a young player, he has the explosion and athletic traits that are good for him. He’s really learned how to be violent and use his hands. But when we’re talking about what will really help him reach his potential, it’s his resiliency, his drive, all of that. I see so many players, whether it’s in the NFL or wherever, have a bad play or bad quarter and struggle to bounce back. Max does a great job coming back from those situations.
One other thing I’ll say is, I can teach an athlete to run a good three-cone drill or the shuttle. That’s all predetermined. But, in football, nothing is predetermined. Things like spatial awareness and just having a feel for the game, those are the things you can’t teach. To me, it’s just as much about the intangibles. Athletic measurements are the easy thing to evaluate. A lot of guys look great running around in shorts, but are you gritty? What are you going to do when you get into a dogfight? I think, for Max, he has those intangibles.
Snyder: You grew up in New Jersey. Did those ties to the Northeast have any sort of impact on Max’s decision to end up at Penn State?
Granville: Yeah, I have family in New Jersey, a lot of extended family. I don’t think it was so much about having family closer or anything like that. I think, with me growing up in the Northeast, I just personally have a better understanding of what Penn State is. Penn State is State College. It’s been stable, from Joe Pa and everything the program stands for. Max is a Penn State guy. To me, what a Penn State guy is hasn’t changed. Penn State is still blue-collar, hard hat and tough. So, I think just having that familiarity with what the program is all about helped. I actually camped there in high school.
That wasn’t a deciding factor or anything like that, but in terms of being a parent, for example, Max took an [official visit] to USC. I didn’t grow up in LA, so I couldn’t really speak for that. But, for Penn State, I was able to give Max more of a historical feel for the culture there and what this community is all about. Understanding that this is the type of community and environment that I know he’d be comfortable in, I think that’s where those ties had an impact.
Snyder: Jeff McInerney is now a defensive analyst at Penn State. I believe he was your linebacker coach at Duke when you were in college. What was it like seeing him again when you visited?
Granville: That was great to see him. It’s been so many years. He helped shape me as a player. Duke doesn’t send a lot of guys to the NFL. Maybe they do now, but back then, they didn’t, so I’ve always been grateful for him. When I saw him on the unofficial, that meant a lot to me. It brought back some good memories. I’m sure he was able to give the staff intel on myself, my mindset and what I care about. Max is a lot more athletic than me, but I think in terms of his approach and work ethic, there are a lot of similarities.
Granville: I’m not going to give specific numbers, but Penn State was probably tied for fourth when it comes to that stuff. There was a school that offered double. There was another school that offered more than double what Penn State did. I think for Max, I really respect that he saw that and didn’t let it impact him.
From my perspective, Penn State has competitive NIL resources, but to me, that’s still low-hanging fruit. I know some quarterbacks are getting huge numbers, but when you’re talking about trying to get into the NFL one day and trying to be a top three-round pick, it’s still low-hanging fruit. It’s more about finding the place that’s best for you, especially when you’re young in your career. For guys like Max, guys like Jayden Woods , the goal should still be about building value over the long haul. The real value is three or four years from now, not what you get initially from NIL.
But for Penn State, they’re solid. I think that they’re doing it the right way, too. I’ve been in some meetings at these different schools and I’ve asked questions. I see what they’re doing for all these high school guys, but what are you doing for your current roster? I oftentimes heard crickets, so I like how Penn State is doing it. You want to have a good culture. You want to attract good players, but you also want to retain them. From the coaches I’ve been around, James Franklin is the most committed to recruiting and developing high school players.
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