Sophomore defensive lineman for Penn State. 2025: 0.5 sacks, 0.5 tackles for loss, 6 tackles.
6′5″ · 299 lb · Henderson, NV · Bishop Gorman
The numbers
sacks · 2025
Best game: 0.5 sacks, 0.5 TFL, 2 tackles, at Arkansas State
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Sophomore defensive lineman for Penn State. 2025: 0.5 sacks, 0.5 tackles for loss, 6 tackles.
Alijah Carnell
Alijah Carnell arrived at Penn State from Iowa State. One game to point at: 2 tackles, 0.5 sacks against Arkansas State — Week 3, 2025.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
His career
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2024–2025
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: James Franklin → Terry Smith. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Penn State
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Iowa State | 6 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.5 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Iowa State | 2 | -- | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 8 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.5 | -- | -- | -- |
Game log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 6 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 2 | W 16-13vs Iowa | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 24-16@ Arkansas State | 2 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | Season-high 2 tackles |
| Wk 5 | W 39-14vs Arizona | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | L 27-41vs BYU | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 11 | W 20-17@ TCU | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 14 | W 20-13@ Oklahoma State | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 6 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 |
Season context · Team result + system
2 seasons under Matt Campbell — 19-7 over that span.
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Splits · Per-game
2025 season · 6 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road3g | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+3g | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Matt Campbell
Pass share
40.0%
80 pass / 120 run
Plays / game
66.7
3 games
Team sack rate
3.5%
86 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy.
Player standing · 2025
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
The No. 2,155 recruit in the country is starting on the defensive line in the Big Ten as a sophomore.
15 more on the roster · Penn State team page