How will Penn State move on from injury to LB Tony Rojas?

Penn State’s staunch 2025 defense took a major hit this week.

Star junior linebacker Tony Rojas will miss significant time with a long-term injury, as James Franklin confirmed Wednesday night. A report from Blue-White Illustrated said it’s unlikely Rojas will return this season.

Rojas, who made seven tackles and broke up a pass in 70 snaps against Oregon, had played extremely well in four games. He played through an injury last year that required an offseason surgery but showed no signs of rust in 2025.

With another setback, Franklin on Wednesday described the past couple of days as “not good” for Rojas, with a solemn tone throughout his midweek news conference.

“Personally disappointed, and there’s disappointment with the team as well,” Franklin said. “Guys will rally around him and support him, like we’ve done in the past. This isn’t the first time we’ve been through something like this, and he’s not the last player to go through something like this. The hardest part is the initial shock of it, the initial news of it.”

Teammates with a similar experience have, in fact, started to rally around Rojas.

“For me, when I was injured, it was just keeping a positive mind, keeping a positive attitude and just coming in every day to work,” defensive tackle Alonzo Ford Jr. said. He missed the latter half of 2024 with the second season-ending injury of his career. “I know he’s a hard worker, so it doesn’t really matter what challenges he faces in life. I know he’s gonna attack them hard, so he’ll be good.”

The Nittany Lions’ defensive depth was a major concern entering 2025, one of the key limiting factors ahead of an expected run toward the national championship. Linebacker and defensive line lacked experience behind a few talented returners.

Now, that question will be answered, for better or worse.

North Carolina transfer Amare Campbell has been fantastic to start this season, and veteran Dom DeLuca (97 snaps this season) has been steady in his career but rarely excellent.

No one beyond DeLuca, though, has played more than 47 snaps at linebacker through four games, according to PFF. And against Oregon on the biggest stage, DeLuca saw just 17 plays, and redshirt freshman Anthony Speca played a meager two.

Franklin said DeLuca will step directly into Rojas’ role moving forward. He owns 110 tackles in 48 career games, and he’s always had a knack for the big play with five interceptions, two forced fumbles and three blocked punts.

Speca, a Central Catholic grad, played the next-most snaps (47) and can rotate at middle linebacker to keep Campbell fresh. Redshirt junior Keon Wylie, with a season-ending injury last season, also could contribute after 44 snaps thus far.

Two new names will enter the conversation, too, and warrant attention moving forward: four-star freshmen Alex Tatsch (Latrobe) and Cam Smith. Neither had been green-lit to burn their redshirt to this point, but Franklin said the coaching staff will discuss that possibility.

“They’re going to have an opportunity,” Franklin said. “This is how it is in college football.”

Franklin said Sunday scrimmages between reserve Nittany Lions have been important for the first-year linebackers. Tatsch played more early on, but Smith has stepped up recently. They’ve bounced between the scout and varsity groups during practice over the past few days.

Tatsch (6-foot-2, 231 pounds) made his debut against Villanova. He played 21 snaps with three tackles and a tackle for loss. Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles explained during the bye week that they were trying to bring Tatsch more into the rotation because of a “high upside.”

Smith (6-0, 216) has yet to make his debut but has “flashed” in practice, according to teammates. He hails from Philadelphia powerhouse St. Joseph’s Prep.

Luckily for Penn State, this weekend’s UCLA game represents the perfect opportunity to get experience for guys such as Wylie, Speca, Tatsch and Smith. The Bruins are 0-4, have fired their head coach and simply haven’t found a rhythm in 2025.

“The next guy is going to have to step up,” Franklin said. “And I think the sooner that Tony can get involved in helping prepare those guys and getting them ready to play, the better we’ll be, and the better he’ll be. Because it’ll keep him busy and engaged, too.”