Penn State football: Tony Rojas ready to proof he’s a top-tier linebacker

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Tony Rojas sat down at the podium last week at Big Ten Media Days and struggled to adjust his tailored double-breasted suit.

“These are complicated,” he said.

Just like the last 12 months have been for Rojas, the Penn State linebacker whose season-ending knee injury in a late September practice sent him into a deep funk.

“I just felt it (football) was taken away from me, which was devastating,” he said. “I learned to battle through and leaned on my loved ones. They helped me get through this.

“I just focused on myself and tried to get mentally stronger.”

Rojas has recovered – physically and mentally – from his torn ACL and was a full participant when the Nittany Lions began preseason camp Wednesday.

He’s expected to be one of the defensive leaders and is looking to maximize his potential in his fourth season at Penn State.

“I’m going to be a better linebacker this year,” he promised. “I feel more than 100%. I feel stronger and faster. I just feel better. I’m going to put it all on the table this year. I’m really just doing this for myself. I’m not worried about the outside noise.

“I want to prove myself right. I think I’m going to put a show on.”

Much has changed since Rojas injured his knee without contact in a practice three days after a double-overtime loss to Oregon. The Lions, who were expected to contend for the Big Ten and national titles, then dropped back-to-back games to prohibitive underdogs UCLA and Northwestern.

The day after the loss to Northwestern, director of athletics Pat Kraft fired coach James Franklin. Two months later, Kraft hired Iowa State’s Matt Campbell to replace Franklin.

“He called me the day he was hired,” Rojas said. “I realized that I was a priority to him. He’s a great guy. He’s going to tell us what we need to hear and not what we want to hear. That’s a big improvement.”

Despite the slight, Rojas stood out when Franklin was at Penn State. He played in every game as a freshman in 2023 and then started every game in 2024 when he received All-Big Ten honorable mention and the Lions reached the Big Ten championship game and the College Football Playoff semifinals.

Rojas’ shining moment so far came in a CFP win over SMU when he returned an interception 59 yards for a touchdown.

He started the first four games last season and seemed on his way to another outstanding year before he injured his knee.

Now he has a new head coach and his fourth defensive coordinator in as many years. Former Penn State cornerback D’Anton Lynn left USC to take the same job at his alma mater, following Jim Knowles, Tom Allen and Manny Diaz.

“Coach Lynn has done a great job of going slowly and teaching us why we’re doing something, which is important,” Rojas said. “He explains things very well with details. In past years it’s been kind of a rush to get the defense installed. He’s taking his time and we’re getting to know it very well.”

Cornerbacks Zion Tracy and Audavion Collins are the only returning starters on a defense with a lot of transfers, interchangeable parts and experience. Rojas said he can play all three linebacker positions, like Iowa State transfers Kooper Ebel and Caleb Bacon.

He’s also worked on pass-rushing skills expecting to blitz and line up at end.

“We’ve had some talks about what I can do,” Rojas said. “I told him (Lynn) I want to blitz. I want to come off the edge. My best is when I play fast. I think he’s going to put me in position to do so.

“I’ve been working a lot on pass rush with (defensive ends) Max (Granville) and Yvan (Kemajou). I’ve been working on my footwork and my bend technique. That’s been a big plus for me.”

Rojas looked and sounded upbeat now that he’s fully recovered and prepared to hit the field for the first time in 11 months.

“It (his mental health) is top tier now,” he said. “It’s even better because of the things I went through. I felt like I was at my lowest. Now I’m in the best space I can be, the best physical and mental space.

“I was super excited (when he received medical clearance). I don’t have words for it. I worked my butt off. It was a blessing when I got cleared.”

Rojas has gained the admiration of Campbell, his staff and the program’s new players since their arrival.

“Tony’s ability to battle back,” Campbell said, “his work ethic, his ability to be talented and excellent on and off the field, continues to be a guiding light in our football program.”

Rojas and longtime Penn State teammates like Anthony Donkoh, Andrew Rappleyea, Tracy and Collins have discussed finishing their careers “right.” Even though Campbell and his staff are building the program’s foundation, they’re not interested in the future.

“We’ve all emphasized it,” Rojas said. “It’s not a win-later mentality. We’re trying to win now. All the new guys know that. We had a huge group chat when all the new guys came here. We talked about not settling for less. We all came here to win a national championship.”

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