Happy Valley Insider moves on in our Penn State 2024 spring practice position previews by taking a look at the linebacker position.
This offseason, the Nittany Lions' said goodbye to multi-year starter Curtis Jacobs who moved onto the NFL this offseason. The linebacker room also saw star Abdul Carter make the move to defensive end as he looks to improve his NFL Draft stocks for next spring.
With that, the Nittany Lions linebacker room in 2024 will look quite a bit different, however, it's still a deeply talented room that brings a ton of upside in this upcoming fall.
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When it comes to Penn State's starters at linebacker, it seems pretty certain that Kobe King and Tony Rojas will both be starters for the Nittany Lions next season but the battle for the third spot is something to watch this spring and fall.
In the battle for that third spot will be Dominic DeLuca and Keon Wylie. Both players saw action in each of Penn State's 12 games in 2023 but in much different fashions. DeLuca was a backup for the Nittany Lions but will now have the opportunity to step into a starter's role. While Wylie played mostly a special teams role for the program.
DeLuca despite playing just 212 defensive snaps was the Nittany Lions top performing linebacker according to Pro Football Focus with a defensive grade of 90.7, that being said, Wylie wasn't too far off when on the field himself. He totaled 91 defensive snaps while posting a defensive grade of 78.9 which ranked seventh on the team.
Beyond the battle for the starting third left by Abdul Carter, it will also be interesting to watch how Tony Rojas continues his personal development. The former high four-star prospect saw the field quite a bit as a true freshman and was impressive when given the opportunity.
BACKUPS
When it comes to Penn State's backup linebackers, it will likely consistent of Tyler Elsdon in the middle with Dominic DeLuca or or Keon Wylie on one side while the other side could feature Kaveion Keys, a redshirt freshman who flashed as a freshman last fall especially on the practice field.
Elsdon briefly started in 2023 before taking over mostly a backup role behind Kobe King last season. He should provide a solid backup to Kobe king though he does not provide the same ceiling. Last season, Elsdon recorded 21 tackles including one tackle for loss, two pass deflections, and one fumble recovery.
Keys only played a handful of snaps defensively last season but did impress last season in his development which has led many to believe he could make an impact this upcoming fall on the field.
DEPTH
When it comes to the depth at the position, redshirt senior Tyrece Mills will look to finally make an impact on the roster after recording just two tackles last season. Pittsburgh native and redshirt freshman Ta’Mere Robinson will be fully healthy this season after working his way back over the last two years from a knee injury, he'll have the chance to see playing time this fall as well. Other names at the position include walk-ons Beckham Dee, Winston Yates, Jackson Pryts, and Ben Chizmar.
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