Tony Rojas is back in the mix for Penn State, and the early signs from his rehab are exactly what the Nittany Lions wanted to hear.
The linebacker, who was tracking toward a breakout before his 2025 season was derailed, is now taking part in summer workouts after missing spring ball while recovering from a torn ACL. On July 1, he was on the field for Penn State’s annual Lift for Life event, going through strength and conditioning drills with his teammates.
That’s a meaningful step for a player Penn State expects to be a major defensive piece in 2026. Rojas was one of the most important players the Nittany Lions kept this offseason, and director of football strength and conditioning Reid Kagy made it clear the work has been noticed.
“Tony's done a great job, and Tony’s progressing,” Kagy said at Lift For Life. “I'm proud of Tony.”
Even without practicing in the spring, Rojas still left a mark on the program. As Penn State moved into a new era with Matt Campbell, he became a steady presence in the linebacker room and a relationship-builder behind the scenes.
"Tony has done an unbelievable job," Campbell said after spring practice. "I don't know if I could be prouder of what his work has looked like, what he's done behind the scenes in terms of both his rehab and leadership in our football program."
Kagy echoed that point, saying Rojas was helping the younger linebackers and staying engaged in meetings while he worked his way back.
“Tony was making a big impact behind the scenes,” Kagy said. “He was creating relationships.
He's helping the other linebackers get through the defense, he's learning, he's in the meeting rooms and all those things. He's making an impact by impacting others.”
Rojas has already shown what he can do on the field. He’s a two-year starter for Penn State, and after playing through an injury as a sophomore, he got healthy for 2025 and opened the season with a two-sack game against Villanova and seven tackles against Oregon.
Then came the setback. In the week before Penn State’s game against UCLA, Rojas tore his ACL in practice on a Tuesday, four days before the Bruins stunned the Nittany Lions 42-37 at the Rose Bowl on Oct.
- Penn State struggled to contain Nico Iamaleava’s running ability in that loss.
Rojas later described the injury as both painful and purposeful.
“I feel like it was a blessing and a curse at the same time,” Rojas said in February of his injury. “I feel like everything happens for a reason.
That's how I look at it. And God has his plan, and I'm not gonna rush anything that's not meant to be.
“So obviously it sucked, but it is what it is, and I can look forward as of now. But what happened after, just the season, it was kind of a weird feeling - not just playing, but just seeing what was happening with the losses and coach [James] Franklin [being fired] … I think we'll be back better than people expect.”
Penn State had plenty of roster turnover this offseason, adding 55 new players, and the linebacker group was part of that overhaul with Iowa State transfers Caleb Bacon, Kooper Ebel, Cael Brezina and John Klosterman, along with West Virginia transfer Chris Fileppo. Rojas was one of three returning linebackers in that mix.
For now, the encouraging part is simple: he’s back working, he’s back around the team, and he’s expected to be ready for the season-opener against Marshall on Sept. 5.
Kagy said the biggest thing Rojas did this spring may not have shown up on a stat sheet.
“What's great about Tony is I don't think he cared if anybody saw the impact that he was making or not,” Kagy said. “He cared if this team felt that impact, and he was able to make that impact throughout the spring.”
In Other News...
Matt Campbells Penn State Quarterback Blueprint Is Coming Into Focus
Penn States quarterback board for the next two recruiting cycles is starting to take shape, and the early outline says a lot about what Matt Campbell wants his offense to look like. The Nittany Lions already have commitments from Will Wood in the 2027 class and James Armstrong in the 2028 class, giving the staff a pair of young passers it believes can grow into major roles down the road.
Campbell and general manager Derek Hoodjer have made clear that the evaluation goes well beyond arm talent. They are looking for quarterbacks with size, leadership, toughness, accuracy and consistency, the kind of traits that hold up when the game gets messy and the pocket starts to move. Armstrong, who is regarded as the top-ranked quarterback in Pennsylvania for his class, fits that mold, and Penn States approach suggests the staff is building around a very specific blueprint rather than chasing the flashiest name available. [Read more 🡒]