Kobe King’s decision to enter NFL draft leaves Penn State inexperienced at linebacker
Share this post:
With the NFL Draft declaration deadline passing Wednesday and an extended transfer window coming to a close, Penn State’s stay-or-go decisions for the 2025 season are all but wrapped up.
It’s been a good set of decisions for Penn State overall as Drew Allar, Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen and Dani Dennis-Sutton have said they’re coming back. At one defensive position, though, a decision to head to the draft has left a few question marks moving forward.
Redshirt junior Kobe King, Penn State’s middle linebacker, announced Tuesday he would forgo his final year of eligibility and turn pro. King also wore the green dot for Penn State, meaning he was the one receiving in-helmet communication from the coaching staff and relaying play calls to teammates. He was a second-team All-Big Ten honoree this season and finished second among the Nittany Lions with 97 tackles.
There was a steep dropoff at linebacker without King on the field. So here’s a Penn State linebacker reset for 2025 as the position currently stands.
Returning starters
Penn State has just two linebackers returning who started at least five games in 2024. And even among those two, only sophomore Tony Rojas started all 16 games.
The Virginia native and former highly touted four-star struggled at times this season, but his athleticism is second to none at the position and the staff remains impressed with his potential. Rojas is a top candidate for a 2025 breakout, and it’ll be interesting to see how he continues to develop under a new system. He has the ability to play at multiple spots across the linebacking corps, but his ability in pass coverage might make him better suited away from the Mike spot, meaning Penn State could struggle to find King’s true replacement. Rojas finished 2024 with 58 tackles and three interceptions, his highlight a pick-6 against SMU in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
Dom DeLuca announced he will be coming back in 2025, a great thing for Penn State’s leadership. The former walk-on and special teams ace is an imperfect linebacker but continues to make plays on defense, like his pair of interceptions against SMU. It’s a safe assumption DeLuca will continue to play significant snaps, and perhaps he takes another step in Year 5.
Promising pieces
Though experience is lacking for the linebackers, there are a few names who saw action in 2025 who, given a sizable jump in 2025, could make some noise.
Redshirt sophomore Keon Wylie suffered a season-ending injury in spring practice. But he was slated to be in the rotation if healthy, having played in 13 games in 2023. He returned to the practice field by the end of the 2024 season in limited capacity, meaning he should be ready to go next season.
Wylie brings some more athleticism to the room in a 6-foot-2, 225-pound frame with the ability to rush the passer a bit, too.
DaKaari Nelson made the switch from safety to linebacker in fall camp, and he became a frequent recipient of the coaching staff’s special teams player of the game honor. His size — 6-3 and 222 pounds — fits the role well, and his safety-level agility allows him to play the field-side linebacker spot behind DeLuca. The redshirt freshman played only 67 defensive snaps this year, but with a good camp, he could easily factor in.
Anthony Speca is the lone 2024 freshman to really make any contribution. He played five games and 59 snaps on defense, especially flashing in garbage time during the early weeks of the year. The Central Catholic product might be best suited to take over King’s role, assuming his development continues on its current track.
Relative unknowns
Ta’Mere Robinson came to Penn State with Rojas as part of the 2023 class, though he has been a bit slower to get up to speed. He came off of a serious injury as a senior in high school, and as soon as he started to see some playing time in 2024, he again was knocked out with a minor injury. A Brashear grad, Robinson will have the spotlight on him this offseason as the clock is starting to tick for his development.
Kari Jackson, a three-star in the 2024 class, missed most of the season with an injury. His size is legitimate, (6-1, 238), so it’ll be interesting to see what he adds when healthy.
The freshmen
Penn State has three incoming linebackers in the 2025 class, including two who are already on campus.
LaVar Arrington II has the namesake of a legendary Nittany Lion linebacker, but there’s also serious buzz about what he can do.
Alex Tatsch, a four-star from Latrobe and No. 7 player in Pennsylvania, had an injury limit his senior season to five games. But, like Rojas, he was a talented running back and has serious athleticism. He and Arrington are on campus already.
Cam Smith, whom Penn State flipped from Duke, won’t enroll until after spring practice. Out of Philadelphia’s St. Joseph’s Prep, he was the No. 10 player in the state and a four-star.