Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1503568
7 6 A U G U S T 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 / / / / / / / 2 0 2 3 F O O T B A L L P R E V I E W / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / W hen he suffered a torn knee ligament in the PIAA Class AAA championship game in December 2019, Dominic DeLuca thought his Penn State football career was over before it had even begun. The game had been the biggest of De- Luca's career at Wyoming Area High in Exeter, Pa., where he played quarterback and safety. He led the Warriors to a 21-14 victory over Central Valley that day, but in the process he tore his ACL. DeLuca had been hoping to continue his football career at the college level. Now he had to tell the coaches who had been recruiting him, including James Franklin, the disheartening news. "After surgery, I ended up calling all of my coaches and telling them what was going on and what was going on in my head," he said. "I actually called Coach Franklin crying. Before I could even tell him everything, I was telling him, 'My career is done, I can't do this. ACL? I'm done.' " Franklin assured DeLuca that his ca- reer was just starting. Not only that, but the Nittany Lions' coach knew what he needed to do next. Dominic DeLuca is determined to make an impact in every facet of the game T H O M A S F R A N K CA R R | T F R A N K . CA R R @ O N 3 . C O M Total Commitment DeLuca shined for the Nittany Lions on defense and in kick and punt coverage, finishing with 29 tackles as a redshirt freshman. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE