Penn State’s Jesse Luketa ‘super, super impressive’ in juggling defensive end, linebacker roles

STATE COLLEGE — In the five years before he joined the Penn State staff, defensive line coach John Scott Jr. spent two seasons with the New York Jets and three seasons with South Carolina and Arkansas in the SEC. That’s plenty of time around some high-level players in some of the most competitive football environments at any level. Scott has seen a lot.

But Nittany Lions senior Jesse Luketa has still been able to surprise Scott with his performance this year. Luketa, Penn State’s second-leading tackler in 2020, spent the first three years of his career at middle linebacker. But during the offseason, Luketa began the transition to defensive end while holding onto some linebacker responsibilities.

Defensive coordinator Brent Pry referred to it as a “dual role” during the preseason. And in the season opener, the full scope of that role was on display when Luketa played the first three-and-a-half quarters against Wisconsin at defensive end before moving to linebacker when starter Ellis Brooks was ejected for targeting.

Luketa held down the spot for the final five minutes of the game and helped Penn State escape Camp Randall Stadium with a 16-10 win. A couple days later, Scott, Luketa’s new position coach, was still marveling at Luketa.

“I’ve coached in the NFL and I don’t know, I haven’t seen many guys in the NFL be able to flip a switch like that, so it’s extremely impressive,” Scott said over Zoom on Thursday morning. “Jesse has put the work in. He practiced for us at that position in fall camp at D-end and at linebacker, so he’s got work doing it, so when it happened on Saturday, he was ready to go. But to me, it’s been super, super impressive watching that young man be able to do that. That’s special. You don’t see that often.”

Luketa finished the season opener with five tackles (four solo) and a quarterback hit. The 6-foot-3, 247-pound Luketa held his own at defensive end, playing behind redshirt senior Arnold Ebiketie and redshirt junior Nick Tarburton.

But when Brooks, who led Penn State with 11 tackles (eight solo), was tossed, Luketa moved seamlessly back to the second level. His teammates were impressed but unsurprised.

“I tell him all the time, I’m still amazed to this day to see some of the things that he can do, just from going from lining up at defensive end to the next series lining up at linebacker,” Ebiketie said Wednesday. “We all know how hard the linebacker position can be with knowing all the adjustments and knowing all the calls that well, and just him being able to do all those things, I’m still amazed and I don’t know how he’s able to do all those things. I’m just glad he was on my team, honestly.”

Luketa was a team captain in 2020, and when Ebiketie transferred to Penn State from Temple in the spring, he lived with a group that included Luketa and senior Jahan Dotson. The roommates saw how Luketa embraced and attacked his position change. Dotson said Luketa worked with graduate assistant Deion Barnes, a former Penn State defensive end, on pass rush moves and even went to Dallas to work with “one of the D-line gurus.”

Penn State had a need at defensive end after 2020 starters Odafe Oweh and Shaka Toney went to the NFL and backup Shane Simmons transferred to Marshall. The need was heightened before the season when junior Adisa Isaac was lost to a season-ending injury, which meant none of Penn State’s top four defensive ends from a year ago were available.

The burden fell to Ebiketie, Tarburton, Luketa and a group that includes redshirt sophomore Smith Vilbert and redshirt freshman Zuriah Fisher, another converted linebacker. Luketa’s friends and teammates knew he had an opportunity to contribute off the edge.

“He’s one of those guys that prepares like no other, and I know he’s going to be ready every single time he steps on the field,” Dotson said.

Luketa will get another chance at his old position, too. Brooks is suspended for the first half of Saturday’s game against Ball State, and coach James Franklin said Luketa is set to split time between linebacker and defensive end again, with the switch likely coming when Brooks is eligible to return.

“It’s amazing,” cornerback Joey Porter Jr. said Tuesday. “Just him being able to learn D-end and still be able to hold his knowledge on Mike linebacker is amazing. Not a lot of people were with him on that, really doubted him for doing that. So the fact that he did that switch and can be able to play both (positions) is really a big impact on our defense, was really a key in our defense.”

Luketa arrived at Penn State in the much-hyped Class of 2018 as a four-star recruit at linebacker. He saw the field early and appeared in 34 games with 10 starts through his first three seasons, but things shifted around him, and the trio of Brooks, junior Brandon Smith and sophomore Curtis Jacobs was the best for Pry’s defense in 2021.

But according to his coaches and teammates, Luketa embraced change. And in a game where things can change quickly and frequently, it’s become an asset to Penn State. On Saturday, Luketa will get the chance to display the full display of his abilities.

“To me, it was a no-brainer,” Scott said. “So he jumped all the way in and learned the position and learned how we do things at D-end while working hard at linebacker as well, so he just brings all that value. If you know Jesse Luketa, he’s one of the most competitive people. … It just all worked well. We’ve been very fortunate that that worked out. We’re super excited about what he does and what he brings to the table.

“Jesse was all in. He jumped all in. He’s just been so unselfish, and I couldn’t be more impressed with him and his attitude and how hard he works at it. Very proud of him, and he can do some special things for us this year.”