There are plenty of images to choose from when searching for a lasting one from Dani Dennis-Sutton's career at Penn State, from his leaping interception against Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinals to his wide-eyed pursuit of opposing quarterbacks. When Dennis-Sutton was on the field, his No. 33 jersey was usually easy to find.
For many, though, the lasting — and final — image of Dennis-Sutton in a Penn State uniform came at a baseball stadium in the Bronx. Plenty of Dennis-Sutton's teammates opted out of the Nittany Lions' bowl game against Clemson in late December. But Dennis-Sutton decided to play and turned in a signature performance in a win over the Tigers.
After his workout at Penn State Pro Day on Wednesday, Dennis-Sutton acknowledged that teams have brought up his decision to play in the game during the pre-draft process. At the time, Dennis-Sutton felt there was no reason to question whether he would play. As Dennis-Sutton reflected on his four-year career, he felt that summed up his approach.
"Obviously, it's, like, not cool to play in a bowl game, unless it's the playoffs," Dennis-Sutton said in Holuba Hall on Wednesday. "Or the cool thing is to leave after three years. But for me, obviously, my journey is different. Who I am is different. I wanted to play any possible game I can for Penn State. You never know what happens."
Dennis-Sutton was one of three five-star recruits, along with quarterback Drew Allar and running back Nick Singleton, in Penn State's lauded Class of 2022. That group also included 2025 draft picks Abdul Carter and KJ Winston, not to mention running back Kaytron Allen, offensive lineman Drew Shelton and many more key pieces of the Nittany Lions from the past few years.
Dennis-Sutton joined Allar and the running backs as the most prominent members of the roster to put their pro careers on hold to return to Penn State for one more season in 2025. Of course, things didn't go as planned. The Nittany Lions started 3-0. They lost three straight. James Franklin was fired. They lost three more. Then, they rallied to win four straight to close the year.
NFL teams, just like the entire Penn State fan base and most of the college football world, have wanted to know what happened.
"Well, I mean, I'm reflecting on it a lot because every coach is asking me about it," Dennis-Sutton said.
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Dennis-Sutton finished the season with 42 tackles (26 solo), 12 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, three pass breakups and three forced fumbles. But more than half of Dennis-Sutton's tackles for loss and 6.5 of his sacks came in the final five games of the season when Penn State went 4-1.
In the aftermath of Franklin's firing, Dennis-Sutton needed to grow, and his play on the field reflected that.
"Obviously, it was a tough season and things like that," Dennis-Sutton said. "I feel like, for me, the reason why things went bad, sort of snowballed, we let the Oregon loss turn into the next loss to the next loss, and then ultimately, Coach Franklin got dismissed. But yeah, I think I've learned from it. I think I've grown from it. My leadership skills, I think, have grown tremendously this year, especially once Coach ended up leaving. I felt the team looked at me, specifically the defense, looked at me as the leader. I took pride in that. I wanted to finish the season off strong with those guys. I reflected, and I've learned a lot."
Dennis-Sutton felt like a logical figure for his teammates to look to. Not only was he one of the older players on the team, but Dennis-Sutton was also one of the most experienced. He was also regarded as one of the most talented.
Dennis-Sutton, though, felt the way he carried himself warranted attention, too. He said he takes pride that when he felt the team was looking to him late in the season, he was able to step up.
"I feel like I'm respected around here at Penn State," Dennis-Sutton said. "I'm never in trouble, I'm never doing dumb stuff, and then I'm always just working. I'm not a guy that's just yelling. I'm not a pep talk type of guy, but I'm a work hard type of guy. I'm gonna try and motivate my teammates. I'm gonna try — just make sure everybody's held accountable, including myself."
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The 6-foot-6, 261-pound Dennis-Sutton is an interesting case for the 2026 NFL Draft, which begins April 23 in Pittsburgh. He tested well at the NFL combine a couple weeks ago with a 4.63-second 40-yard dash, along with a broad jump (10 feet, 11 inches) and vertical jump (39.5 inches) that were elite among edge rushers.
Dennis-Sutton has recruiting pedigree, plenty of college experience and production on his resume. There will be questions about his fit in certain systems. But Dennis-Sutton has never been shy about his expectations for himself — before he had even enrolled at Penn State, he posted on social media that he would be the best defensive end in college football — and that will continue at the next level.
"I do things that not everybody can do, especially in this class, not really anybody," Dennis-Sutton said. "Obviously, physically ... I have the size and the speed, but I feel like, for me also, I have the ability to play the run, chase plays down on backside, and obviously my speed and power, that's what I feel like is one of my specialties.
"And then a thing that nobody does in the class, no matter what position is play special teams. As far as being a defensive guy but also being out there for all four downs: first and second, to stop the run; third down to get after the quarterback; and then fourth down, being able to block punts and make plays on special teams. So for me, give me an opportunity to get out on the field, no matter what it is — run, pass, special teams — I feel like I'm gonna go out there."
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Dennis-Sutton walked off the field as a Penn State Nittany Lion for the final time at Yankee Stadium as a winner. He was honest that the season didn't go how he thought it would go or how he wanted it to go. Eventually, he figured out how he needed to handle his circumstances in a way that would help both himself and his teammates.
That culminated with his two-sack performance in the Pinstripe Bowl. It closed his Penn State chapter in memorable fashion, and it set him on his path to the draft. As he stood in Holuba Hall, Dennis-Sutton remembered what it felt like to leave the field in his Nittany Lions jersey one last time.
"It was a little sad, I'm not gonna lie," Dennis-Sutton said. "After the game, it was like, 'Damn, I'm an alumni now, I guess?' Like, sheesh. It just happens quick, man.
"I just wanted to go out there and give my all to Penn State, last time, final time. Throughout all the adversity, find a way to still end off with a W and sort of boost next year's team. So yeah, that's why I did it."
Daniel Gallen covers Penn State for Lions247 and 247Sports. He can be reached at daniel.gallen@cbsinteractive.com. Follow Daniel on X at @danieljtgallen, Instagram at @bydanieljtgallen and Bluesky at @danieljtgallen.bsky.social.