Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1537537
7 2 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 / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / PRESEASON ANALYSIS ★★★★★ National Title; ★★★★ Top 10; ★★★ Top 25; ★★ Too Unproven; ★ Major Concern STARTERS ★★★ The Nittany Lions bring back a couple of vet- erans in junior Tony Rojas and redshirt senior Dominic DeLuca. Both have been key contrib- utors the past two seasons, but they also face questions heading into the 2025 campaign. Rojas is the logical choice to replace Kobe King at middle linebacker, but he hasn't played the position in a game to this point in his career, and he's spent the offseason rehab- bing from surgery. He will have to acclimate to calling the defense, and he's also calling a new defense under first-year coordinator Jim Knowles. Losing time this spring to become comfortable with that process was not trivial. DeLuca is another player who could mentally and emotionally handle the position, but it's fair to ask if he's the right fit physically. The former safety moved to the field linebacker position in 2023 and then into the box last year. At 227 pounds, is he now capable of playing a larger role in run defense? Or does it make more sense to station him at Will, his natural position? The only player with middle linebacker expe- rience is North Carolina transfer Amare Camp- bell, but he's getting a crash course in Penn State football this summer. None of these are dealbreakers, but they introduce questions and variables that you would prefer to answer during spring football, not fall camp. EXPERIENCE ★★★ Rojas and DeLuca have seen plenty of snaps at PSU. Last year alone, the two com- bined for 21 starts and 1,043 game reps. Campbell is a veteran, too, albeit at another program. While playing for the Tar Heels last season, he started 13 games and saw action on 758 snaps. DEPTH ★★ Penn State suffered a significant and un- expected blow when redshirt sophomore Ta'Mere Robinson decided during spring practice to leave the program. He has since landed at USC. Robinson's exit prompted James Franklin to go public with a pitch to would-be trans- fers. "We lost a guy that we didn't anticipate losing," Franklin told reporters following the Blue-White Game. "As you guys know, we're not a big portal team, but we're going to have to address some issues." Campbell's addition is a bonus for Penn State. The team lacked proven depth to shore up the top of the unit behind Rojas and DeLuca. Campbell played 886 snaps during his two seasons in Chapel Hill. That's 779 more than Robinson played in his time at PSU. Campbell also showed growth and development during that time. He is a strong run defender for his size, with room to improve. Critically, his missed tackle rate — a problem for Penn State last year —was under 10 percent. Nothing is given freely, but it's reasonable to assume the team has a stable top three linebackers now between Rojas, DeLuca and Campbell. That puts less pressure on young players such as redshirt freshmen Kari Jack- son and Anthony Speca to play meaningful snaps during a potential championship run. OVERALL GRADE ★★★ Adding Campbell brought clarity to the plan at middle linebacker. He gives PSU the flexibility and depth it needs to tinker. This unit could well be in better shape than it was prior to Robinson's surprise departure, given that Campbell is a much more experi- enced player. That said, there are still more questions at linebacker than at most other position groups on PSU's defense. The Lions' line- backer corps will be one of the team's most scrutinized areas when the season begins Aug. 30 versus Nevada. BY THE NUMBERS 5 Penn State linebackers who have been drafted during the James Franklin coaching era. Those players are Cam Brown (sixth round, New York Gi- ants, 2020), Micah Parsons (first round, Dallas, 2021), Brandon Smith (fourth round, Carolina, 2022), Jesse Luketa (sev- enth round, Arizona, 2022) and Kobe King (sixth round, Minnesota, 2025). 7 Interceptions by Penn State line- backers last year. Tony Rojas and Dominic DeLuca had 3 apiece, while Ty- rece Mills had 1. That total amounted to 35 percent of Penn State's 20 picks as a team. 90.9 Rojas's coverage grade from Pro Football Focus during the Nittany Lions' 2024 season. A sophomore at the time, Rojas earned the highest PFF coverage grade of any player on Penn State's defense last year. Dominic DeLuca started five games as a redshirt junior and finished with 40 tackles and 3 interceptions. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS