Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1535618
2 0 J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M freshmen LaVar Arrington II and Alex Tatsch — are just beginning their col- lege football jour- neys at Penn State but could find their way onto the field in some capacity this fall. At the forefront of that develop- ment project, De- Luca has made a d e l i b e ra te e f fo r t to speed the process by being a steady and reliable resource. His work has been much appreciated by the players he's guiding. "I feel like we have a great room full of great leaders, led by a great coach. Our commanding leader right now is Dom DeLuca," Jackson said. "He's an older guy in our room, a veteran. He's really knowledgeable. He knows the playbook in and out. He's been here a while, so he's a great guy to be around, to talk to, and to learn from." Positive Reinforcement While helping out as much as possible with the team's younger linebackers, DeLuca has continued to prioritize his own development. After playing at 228 pounds last season, up from 209 during his redshirt freshman year, he's worked with strength coach Chuck Losey and team nutritionist Leanne Louden to reach a spring weight of 235 pounds. Last year marked his most produc- tive season yet. Playing 387 snaps, he notched 40 tackles, including 4 for loss and an assisted sack, along with 3 in- terceptions, a pass breakup and a quar- terback hurry. He missed time due to a hand injury sustained against Kent State, which kept him out for the bulk of Penn State's wins over UCLA and USC and forced him to miss the team's Big Ten opener against Illinois entirely. His standout moment came in the Nittany Lions' 38-10 victory over SMU in the first round of the College Foot- ball Playoff. He finished with a pair of interceptions in Penn State's romp, in- cluding a pick six that opened the scor- ing midway through the first quarter at Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions will be calling on DeLuca to make a similar impact this season, but under new circumstances. As he continues to learn Knowles' system, DeLuca is expected to take on the role of calling the defense. As a result, his foot- ball IQ and reliability put him in position to potentially start consistently for the first time in his Penn State career. "It's a new playbook. We had some tweaks to make, just learning what we need to do better this fall, some stuff we need to improve on, and other areas to work on," DeLuca said. "Being able to do that and have that accountability to each other will be huge." DeLuca's influ- ence extends beyond his teammates. With a tenure at Penn State that pre- dates Connor's arrival as position coach, he's also become a key resource for the former All-America linebacker. Connor frequently points out De- Luca's commitment and what it rep- resents. It's a path that has delivered "It's critical for these young guys to learn how to handle your business, how to be a pro, how to take care of your body and how to prepare, and he's done it the most authentic, real way possible. … All of these young players who are hungry for knowledge and hungry to compete, they're learning from a guy who's living proof." L I N E B A C K E R S C O A C H D A N C O N N O R O N D E L U C A In addition to his 2 interceptions against SMU in the College Football Playoff, DeLuca made one of the biggest defensive plays in Penn State's 26-25 win at Minnesota last November, intercepting a pass and returning it 29 yards. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS