Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1495456
1 4 A P R I L 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Even In A Strong Linebacker Corps, Tony Rojas Could Find A Role RYAN SNYDER: It's become a common occurrence in recent years for at least one of the early enrollees to stand out during Penn State's spring drills. Two years ago, cornerback Kalen King earned a ton of praise from head coach James Franklin. Last year, defensive tackle Zane Durant was the newcomer that everyone was buzzing about. Both went on to become significant contributors during their respective freshman seasons. This spring, I expect linebacker Tony Rojas to be the one who flashes the most. The nation's No. 92 overall prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking, Rojas was considered by many to be the most athletically gifted player in the Nittany Lions' 2023 class. The only question we had was how long it would take him to catch up from a weight perspective. Coming out of high school at 195 pounds, Rojas looked great but was still a bit leaner than preferred. Those worries have quickly gone away. When Penn State updated its roster in early March, Rojas was listed at 215 pounds. If he could add 20 pounds in less than 10 weeks, there's plenty of reason to believe he will continue to grow throughout the summer. Sophomore Abdul Carter and fourth-year junior Curtis Jacobs have already proven what they're capable of doing, and that should also help free up players like Rojas to receive increased reps at linebacker this spring. As long as Jacobs and Carter stay healthy, they'll once again surpass 500 snaps again in the fall. However, it's important to note that Jonathan Suther- land also played more than 400 snaps for the Nittany Lions in 2022. With Sutherland having graduated, it wouldn't be surprising to see Rojas earn a rotational role as a true freshman. Cristian Driver Has The Talent To Lend A Hand On Offense GREG PICKEL: Let's focus on the wide-open battle at wide receiver. It's reasonable to expect that fourth-year junior KeAndre Lambert-Smith will step up, finally put it all together consistently and win the No. 1 job for first-year position coach Marques Hagans. It's anyone's guess, however, as to who the other two starters will be, and there's even more uncertainty when you look deeper in the depth chart. My pick to win one of the starting jobs is second-year Nittany Lion and first- year receiver Cristian Driver. Seeing action in only four games last fall, Driver didn't burn his redshirt, but he did have an opportunity to receive some snaps as a defensive back. In fact, coordinator Manny Diaz and cornerbacks coach Terry Smith thought enough of his abilities to put him on the field in the Rose Bowl. As it turned out, those were his last snaps on defense. He's flipping to the other side of the ball this offseason, to a position that he believes suits him better. Driver excelled as a high school receiver at Liberty Christian in Texas, and as most fans know, he's the son of five-time Pro Bowl wideout Donald Driver. It'll take more than that for Cristian to earn snaps, of course. But his athleti- cism, speed and prior work as a pass catcher all indicate that he can and will do it. The first step in that process is a strong performance in spring drills. I have a hunch that people will be talking about him in the weeks ahead, and that he'll emerge from spring practice as a strong contender to take the field with the starting offense when Penn State welcomes West Virginia to Beaver Stadium on Sept. 2 for its opener. Point – Counterpoint Which Young, Under-The-Radar Player Is Most Likely To Turn Heads In Spring Practice? Penn State began its spring practice sessions on March 14 at Holuba Hall and will wrap them up with the Blue-White Game on April 15. BWI FILE PHOTO