Going into the 2025 football season, Nittany Lions Wire will examine each player listed on the Penn State roster. Over the preseason, each profile will cover the player’s background, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for James Franklin this season.
Over the last couple seasons, Penn State’s defensive tackle unit has been led by seasoned veterans, including a handful of sixth-year players. Entering the 2025 season, redshirt freshman Xavier Gilliam could shake that up as he battles for a starting role. He earned praise from Franklin, as well as teammates Dvon J-Thomas and Zane Durant, throughout the offseason and was a starter for the blue team in this spring’s Blue-White Game. Here’s a brief overview of Gilliam entering the season.
Preseason Player Profile
Hometown: Montgomery Village, Maryland
Height: 6-2
Weight: 300 lb
Class in 2025: Redshirt freshman
Recruiting Rankings
Class of 2024: Consensus 3-star recruit, No. 50 defensive lineman per 247Sports
Gilliam was offered by Texas A&M, Ole Miss, West Virginia and others out of high school.
Career Stats
| Games | Tackles | Tackles for loss | Sacks | Forced fumbles | |
| 2024 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Depth Chart Overview
With the departure of Dvon J-Thomas and Coziah Izzard to the NFL, Zane Durant is the only proven commodity at defensive tackle. Gilliam is expected to battle sixth-year Alonzo Ford Jr. for the second starting role in 2025.
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