Next up in Happy Valley Insider's position previews for Penn State as the 2024 regular season draws closer is the Nittany Lions linebacker room.
This offseason, the Nittany Lions saw one starter in Curtis Jacobs leave for the NFL while another in Abdul Carter, made the position switch to defensive end. While Carter will play at defensive end this fall, the Nittany Lions still plan to deploy the Philadelphia native at linebacker at times throughout the season as well.
The biggest change for the linebacker room this fall for Penn State won't be any changes in personnel but in change of scheme. New defensive coordinator Tom Allen historically uses a 4-2-5 defense, using three safeties commonly instead of using three linebackers. This fall, that will mean that Penn State will likely only use the WILL and MIKE linebackers on the field with the SAM linebacker spot being used sporadically.
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STARTERS
Penn State's trio of starters this fall at linebacker is expected to be Tony Rojas at the WILL, Kobe King at the MIKE, and Dominic DeLuca at the SAM.
Starting with Rojas, the Virginia native is entering his sophomore season with the Nittany Lions and enters the season with high expectations surrounding him. He'll take over the spot left by Abdul Carter, who is now on the defensive line. As a true freshman, the former four-star prospect played in all 13 games for Penn State recording 31 tackles including 3.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble, and one interception. A tremendous athlete, Rojas has all the talent and ability to step into the spot left by Carter without missing a beat.
At the MIKE spot, Kobe King will return as the starter after playing in all 13 games and making 11 starts a season ago, earning All-Big Ten honorable mention from both the coaches and media. The Detroit native is a very good run defender, among the best for the Nittany Lions last season but is also athletic enough to be good in coverage, only allowing 79 yards on 14 targets last season.
At the SAM (when used) will be former walk-on Dominic DeLuca. In 2023, DeLuca was one of Penn State's best defenders regardless of position last season according to Pro Football Focus earning an overall defense grade of 87.1, the third best on the team. DeLuca, like King, is very good against the run and very good in coverage, allowing 87 yards on 14 targets.
DEPTH
The depth at linebacker for Penn State is a bit thinner than in recent memory from an inexperienced standpoint though there is no question about any lack of talent.
The depth at the position did suffer two hits this offseason as redshirt sophomore Keon Wylie suffered a long-term injury in the offseason while redshirt freshman Kaveion Keys was dismissed from the program in early August alongside defensive end Jameial Lyons.
Senior middle linebacker Tyler Elsdon, he's the veteran of the group for the Nittany Lions. A former starter did see his playing time diminish last season, going from 422 total snaps in 2022 to 177 snaps in 2023, expect a similar role this fall.
Other key depth pieces that will be seen this fall include redshirt freshman Ta'Mere Robinson, freshman Anthony Speca, and freshman Kari Jackson. Penn State usually doesn't like to throw their freshman into the fire unless deemed ready or necessary so how much Jackson or Speca play this fall will be interesting to watch.
Notably, the Nittany Lions recently moved redshirt freshman DaKaari Nelson from safety to linebacker. While Nelson may not be seen much early in the season, as the season progresses, don't be surprised if the Alabama native becomes a regular himself.
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