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Penn State football coaches explain position change for Jesse Luketa

Penn State Nittany Lions football head coach James Franklin confirmed a variety of positional changes on Saturday, including a new challenge for veteran linebacker Jesse Luketa.

Luketa will line up at defensive end for the majority of his practice reps during Penn State's summer camp, with a view toward filling a 'hybrid' role for the Nittany Lions when the season gets underway.

"I think it's going to give me the opportunity to step to the next level, so I'm excited about it," Luketa said.

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Penn State Nittany Lions football linebacker Jesse Luketa will be playing defensive end in camp.
Penn State Nittany Lions football linebacker Jesse Luketa will be playing defensive end in camp.
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The move will help the Nittany Lions cover for the loss of junior defensive end Adisa Isaac to a non-football injury suffered during the offseason. Isaac flashed despite limited opportunities last season and figured to climb the depth chart following the departures of Shaka Toney and Odafe Oweh.

Isaac is recovering well, but it's unlikely that he will play for the Nittany Lions this season, so the adjustment taking place with Luketa takes on an added importance.

According to Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Pry, the Nittany Lion coaching staff has always felt Luketa could make this transition if required.

"Even when we recruited and signed Jesse, he had hybrid qualities," Pry said Saturday. "I think he could have been a very productive defensive end here, but depth chart, different reasons, skillset, at the time it was the right decision to keep him at linebacker."

Luketa's best attributes have always been the ones that have taken him closer to the line of scrimmage, and Pry is hopeful that a move that accentuates those qualities will get the best out of Luketa on Saturdays.

"I think it helps Jesse reach his potential," Pry said. "I think it helps him to maximize what he does well, and I think minimize some of his liabilities. He's got a pretty well-rounded skillset. It's our job to have him reach his potential and get the most out of him."

Franklin teased some unique packages centered on Luketa's versatility, hoping to force opposing offenses to question whether he's playing linebacker or defensive end.

Luketa said, in particular, that he's excited for the possibilities those could bring as the season moves closer.

"It's going to depend on the opponent," Pry said. "We've got to work through some things this camp, like how good we feel about certain aspects of it. That's still a work in progress, but we're excited that Jesse can bring value in both areas."

The move, predictably, will change up Luketa's typical pre-season camp script.

He'd worked to some extent at defensive end in the spring, but was limited with an undisclosed injury that prevented him from doing live work.

Now, he's diving in.

"I would say probably more of his time will be spent at defensive end in training camp just because he has such a foundation and history at the linebacker position already within the same scheme," Franklin said. "So we want to get him to the point where he's really comfortable and effective with what we're going to ask him to do at defensive end. Obviously, we still need to keep them sharp at linebacker as well, I see him playing both roles."



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