At Linebacker U, Dan Connor says a Penn State vet ‘looks incredible,’ another has taken ‘huge steps’

Penn State’s current group of linebackers is coached by the program’s all-time leader in tackles. Dan Connor produced 419 of them during his four seasons in State College.

Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, one of the sport’s elite minds, is also keeping close tabs on the position as it moves on from 2024 All-Big Ten choice Kobe King.

Despite the loss of King at Linebacker U, the Nittany Lions are not without proven options.

Connor is pleased with the competitive spirit in the room and believes a number of linebackers are motivated to “make themselves a name on the national level.”

Junior Tony Rojas and redshirt freshman Anthony Speca are two linebackers are different spots on the depth chart.

The 6-foot-2, 230-pound Rojas, who did not work in spring while recovering from an unspecified injury, is a returning starter and an impact performer.

Rojas produced 58 tackles, six tackles for loss, a sack, four pass breakups, three interceptions and five quarterback hurries last year. He has the athleticism to be disruptive versus the run and the pass.

“He looks incredible, and the one thing about football and the linebacker position, in general is, you’re probably only healthy the first day of camp,” Connor said recently when asked about Rojas.

“You’re always going to have stuff. I think … going through last year and proving himself, working through kinks and coming out and having a (2024) playoff run that he did, where he was playing some really good football, I think that’s matured him.

“You see that on the field,” Connor continued.

“You see him using is voice, you see his leadership. He’s a freaky athlete. And he’s one of the most driven players that I’ve ever been around, including even when I was player here (and) in the NFL. He is driven to be great.”

Rojas and fellow veterans Dom DeLuca and Amare Campbell are expected to be the go-to guys for Knowles and Connor.

Behind them is Speca, a former Central Catholic star who looks ready for a prominent backup role.

“He’s close. He’s really smart,” Connor said of the 6-2, 227-pound Speca.

“He’s athletic, he’s more athletic than he gets credit for. He is an athlete; he knows the system inside and out.

“He’s kind of wired like a lot of guys in the room, like Tony (Rojas) and Dom (DeLuca) and Amare (Campbell). They’re so type-A personality, they want to be coached.”

Connor added: “Guys like (Speca) figure it out, they find a way to get on the field. He took huge steps in spring ball, all through the summer and then training camp. He’s playing well, he’s part of the competition, he’s part of that battle to get on the field.”