Ladies and gentlemen, we've made it. Welcome to football season.
This afternoon Penn State will kickoff their 2024 season with a trip to Morgantown to battle the West Virginia Mountaineers on FOX's Big Noon Kickoff. When the no. 8 Nittany Lions go to battle this afternoon, linebacker Dom DeLuca will once again be wearing no. 0 while representing the Nittany Lions as a special teams captain. With this, DeLuca takes the final spot on our 2024 countdown to kickoff series.
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How we got here
At Wyoming Area High School, DeLuca was a four-year starter and a three-year captain. His senior year,. DeLuca was one of the best pure football players in the state of Pennsylvania and helped lead Wyoming Area to their first ever state championship. Despite playing on a torn ACL, DeLuca had a huge game in the state championship, including throwing two touchdown passes.
When DeLuca committed to Penn State as a preferred walk-on it looked like a potential steal for the Nittany Lions. DeLuca has been just that and has worked his way into being a scholarship player for James Franklin and the coaching staff.
As a redshirt freshman in 2022 he played in all 13 games for Penn State. Last season, DeLuca once again played in all 13 games while also being named a special teams captain.
Thus far in his collegiate career DeLuca has recorded 58 tackles, 6.5 tackles for a loss, 2.0 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 2 interceptions, and a pass breakup. His pair of interceptions includes a pick-6 against Delaware last season.
Looking ahead
Now entering his redshirt junior season, DeLuca will once again be arguably Penn State's most important special teams player. While his role on defense will be limited due to Tom Allen's 4-2-5 base that leans heavily on three safety sets, DeLuca will still see playing time at linebacker as well.
DeLuca continues to be an important locker room leader for the Nittany Lions, as well as an often times overlooked and undervalued asset on the field.
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