Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1520787
J ames Franklin has a propensity for calling his shot each spring when it comes to a player who could break out come the fall. The best example is Carl Nassib, a walk-on defensive end who elicited the coach's praise in the spring of 2015 and went on to set a Penn State sin- gle-season record with 15.5 sacks. There have been others, though, and it appears a sophomore linebacker is next in line. In contrast to Nassib's stunning rise from virtual unknown to Big Ten Defen- sive Player of the Year, no one will be sur- prised if Tony Rojas becomes a standout. In fact, that's been the expectation for the former four-star prospect from Fairfax, Va., and it appears he's on pace to make good on his considerable promise in 2024. "I've been impressed with his develop- ment," Franklin said. "I think we'll con- tinue to see it all summer." Rojas came to State College in Janu- ary 2023 amid high expectations. He was listed in the On3 Industry Ranking as the No. 92 overall player and No. 8 linebacker in the 2023 recruiting class. In addition, he was the Gatorade Virginia Player of the Year and Washington Post All-Metro Player of the Year, albeit on offense, a nod to his 2,239 rushing yards, 281 receiving yards and 37 total touchdowns as a senior at Fairfax High. While his offensive stats gave rise to speculation that Rojas might be even bet- ter as an offensive prospect than as a line- backer, Penn State and most other schools recruited him to play on the defen- sive side of Heavy Heavy Hitter Hitter Sophomore Tony Rojas will look to throw his weight around this fall as a member of the Nittany Lions' starting linebacker corps G R E G P I C K E L | G R E G . P I C K E L @ O N 3 . C O M 1 8 J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 2 4