Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1537537
A U G U S T 2 0 2 5 71 / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / L I N E B A C K E R S / / / / / / / 2024 vs. 2025: Stock Up Or Down? This unit will no doubt miss starting middle linebacker Kobe King and rising star Ta'Mere Robinson, who left for the NFL and USC, respec- tively. However, we can assume that junior Tony Rojas will fare better this year than he did last fall when he played through an unspecified upper-body injury. It's also likely that redshirt senior Dominic DeLuca will carve out a key role and that North Carolina transfer Amare Camp- bell will have an early impact. In addition, redshirt junior Keon Wylie is back after missing the 2024 season with an injury. For now, there are too many unknowns at this position group to as- sert that it's trending up. But that doesn't mean the picture will look the same in October or November. X-Factor Rojas is the top linebacker on Penn State's roster, but he's also the biggest variable. He has the skill set, physical attributes and football IQ to be a fixer for this defense. He played that role at times last year, but the injury was likely a bigger impediment than anyone acknowl- edged. Missed tackles were an issue for Rojas, as evidenced by his 44.3 tackling grade from Pro Football Focus. With the benefit of hindsight, it's clear he wasn't completely healthy. If everything goes according to plan, he'll have every opportunity to make a big impression on the rest of the Big Ten this coming fall. Freshman Outlook Penn State signed three linebackers in its 2025 class. LaVar Arrington II has gotten the most attention of that trio, partly because of his family connection to the univer- sity, which includes wearing his father's famed No. 11 jersey during his first sea- son in State College. He's Penn State's highest-rated linebacker signee in the On3 Industry Ranking, checking in at No. 259 overall, No. 29 at his position and No. 22 in his home state of California. The other two linebackers in Penn State's class — Alex Tatsch of Latrobe, Pa., and Cam Smith of Sa- lem, N.J. — also received four-star ratings. Tatsch came in just outside the On300 as the No. 304 player overall in the 2025 recruiting cycle. He was the No. 31 linebacker in his class. Smith was No. 354 overall and No. 37 at his position. It's unlikely that any of those three linebackers will earn substantial early playing time this year. If one of them can fill a special teams role while tak- ing second- or third-team snaps on defense, that would be ideal for the PSU defense. Scholarship Players (10) No. Player Yr. Ht. Wt. 11 LaVar Arrington II Fr. 6-3 219 24 Amare Campbell Jr. 6-0 231 0 Dominic DeLuca R-Sr. 6-1 227 30 Kari Jackson R-Fr. 6-1 237 8 DaKaari Nelson R-So. 6-3 234 13 Tony Rojas Jr. 6-2 230 26 Cam Smith Fr. 6-0 215 40 Anthony Speca R-Fr. 6-1 227 25 Alex Tatsch Fr. 6-2 231 32 Keon Wylie R-Jr. 6-2 225 Before missing last season with an injury, Keon Wylie (32) appeared in all 13 games as a redshirt freshman, totaling 17 tackles, including 5 for loss and 3 sacks. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL