For Luketa, setting the standard becomes new focal point
Jesse Luketa is a student of Linebacker U history. He knows the names: LaVar Arrington, Paul Posluszny, Sean Lee, NaVorro Bowman. He knows their stories. He’s watched their film.
Luketa also knows that he’s a part of that history. How big a part? That’s about to be determined. When he traveled to Los Angeles during Penn State’s extended off-season to work out with Arrington, the former Nittany Lion great kept posing the same question to his young protege, day after day: How are you going to be remembered? As he prepares for a junior season in which he will assume a much bigger role in the Lions’ defensive fortunes, that question is still ringing in Luketa’s ears.
“The only thing I’m concerned about moving forward is, how are people going to remember Jesse Luketa? That’s the only thing. That’s what wakes me up day in and day out,” he said. “I go into practice, and I practice with a purpose. That’s my only focus.”
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Luketa is set to join the starting lineup now that Micah Parsons has opted to forgo his junior season to prepare for the NFL Draft. Before Parsons’ exit, the 6-foot-3, 241-pound Luketa had been set to compete with Ellis Brooks for the starting middle linebacker spot. But he had served as Parsons’ backup last year, wrapping up his sophomore season with 24 tackles and four passes defensed, and he’s seemingly well-positioned to slide over to the Will outside linebacker spot in Brent Pry’s defensive scheme. That’s where he’s been practicing, with Brooks in the middle and Brandon Smith and Lance Dixon competing for the Sam OLB spot.
Stuck at home early in the quarantine, Luketa spent much of the off-season watching film of his predecessors. He started with Mike Hull, then moved on to Jason Cabinda, then went back to watch even more film of Hull. He also watched film of Deion Barnes, a former Nittany Lion defensive end who recently rejoined the program as a graduate assistant. He even watched film of Parsons to see what elements of the consensus All-American’s game he might be able to add to his.
The extensive film work is going to allow Luketa to be “the best version of myself,” he said. “Being a diligent student of the game is going to make me a better player. Once the game slows down for me up here, psychologically, it’s like stealing candy from a baby out there on the field.”
Brooks said he’s seen the evidence of Luketa’s off-season work on the practice field.
“Jesse’s attention to detail is through the roof right now,” the redshirt junior middle linebacker said. “Me and him go back and forth with each other about different formations, different aspects, just being a student of the game. He’s played the Mike position as well, so it’s like having two Mikes out there. He’s great at communication, helps me get out calls, a very talkative guy. So he’s like another coach on the field to me. He helps out the weak side of the defense, he helps get people straight. It’s been a blessing to play beside him, and I think he’s going to have a great year.”
Luketa’s apparent readiness to step into a starting role is one reason why the expectations are so high for Penn State’s linebacker group this year. A look at the depth chart might suggest otherwise, as the Lions must replace all three starters from last season, including a player in Parsons who was being hailed as one of the biggest stars in college football. But with Luketa and Brooks having played in 51 games between them over the past two years, and Smith and Dixon doing battle at the Sam spot, the linebacker corps appears to be a team strength. Brooks certainly thinks so.
“We’ve done a great job recruiting, we’ve done a great job of maturing guys once they’ve gotten here,” he said. “We had the two guys who came in last year [Smith and Dixon], and they were able to get some snaps, able to grow up. And we have talented guys who came in this year, too. So I feel like it’s definitely a position of strength, and I’m very excited to see where we go from this. If somebody needs a breather, I feel like it’s definitely going to be next man up. There’s not going to be a drop-off.”
With the season fast approaching, Luketa is determined to live up to the expectations that have been set by his many elite predecessors at Penn State.
“It’s the standard,” he said. “When we see the rich history of linebackers who have come here and left their mark – from Paul Posluszny to Sean Lee to NaVorro, the list goes on and on – the standard is the standard. When I’m watching film and I’m able to pull up those old clips of Mike Hull, [Michael] Mauti and all those guys, seeing how they played, the style of football, the swagger, just how aggressive they played, that’s what we want to continue to uphold. So when you’re number is called, when your opportunity is finally here, that’s the level we need to be playing at.”
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