Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1537537
7 0 A U G U S T 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 / / / / / / / 2 0 2 5 F O O T B A L L P R E V I E W / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / production at a big-time program," Connor said. "Then you start to watch his tape, and he's jumping out as a guy who can not only play within a scheme, but can create plays. He's a really good blitzer, plays well in space and is a side- line-to-sideline guy. He was able to get on the field at the Mike spot with a green dot [for radio communication] at a big-time program, and then produce. It's just hard to find guys like that. "His family is very good people, very humble people," Connor added. "He's very modest, and he's hungry to learn and get better. That's almost impossible to find. The transfer portal is very hard to deal with and get through. We're getting a guy who fits a position of need, and also, he's a Penn State-type of kid. He has that stamp. He's going to do things the right way, he's going to be humble, and he's going to work to prove who he is and get the rewards at the end. And he's open to the process of getting to that point." 'You Just Feel The Urgency' Penn State will need Campbell, Rojas and all their fellow linebackers to do the same if it's going to field the best version of Knowles' defense this fall. The 60-year-old Pennsylvania native invoked NHL great Wayne Gretzky when describing what he was looking for from his linebackers. Gretzky didn't just chase after pucks during his Hall of Fame career. He had the ability to antic- ipate where they were going to go, and he used that knowledge to put himself in the right place to score. Tackling requires the same kind of situational awareness, Knowles noted. Knowing what's going to happen ahead of time and beating the opponent to the spot is a sure path to success. With Connor and Knowles helping them hone their football instincts, Penn State's linebackers are looking to ease any concerns that LBU lacks a true star at its most celebrated position group entering the 2025 season. They're hop- ing that a combination of proven vet- erans and promising newcomers will elevate the unit as a whole. "It's all up in the air," Connor said. "What makes it so competitive right now is that no one has solidified a posi- tion. Some of them, we'll move their positions day to day just to see how they respond. That open competition, at least in the linebacker room, is mak- ing guys work at a level they haven't worked at in the past. It's making them do some things — extra meetings and study guides and anything they can do to learn. You just feel the urgency of it. "The more we remain in open compe- tition, which we probably will be up un- til Week 1 — who's going to start, where they're going to start — I think you'll see a lot of names emerge of people that the media might not know about now. Guys have been doing it the right way for a while, and they're on the brink of that breakout year. There are going to be a couple guys in this room who I think might do that." ■ The signature moment from Rojas' sophomore season came in Penn State's playoff debut when he returned an inter- ception 59 yards for a touchdown against SMU. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS Quick Facts Position coach: Dan Connor (second season) Returning starters: Dominic DeLuca (5 career starts), Tony Rojas (16) Departing starter: Kobe King (27) Top reserves: Amare Campbell, An- thony Speca, Keon Wylie Newcomers: LaVar Arrington II, Amare Campbell, Cam Smith, Alex Tatsch