Penn State’s linebacker room looks a lot steadier with Alex Tatsch back in the picture.
The true freshman was forced into real action in 2025 and quickly became a rotational piece for the Nittany Lions before an undisclosed injury at the end of the season kept him out of the Pinstripe Bowl against Clemson. Even with the setback, Tatsch still burned his redshirt after veterans like Tony Rojas also missed time earlier in the year. In six games, he finished with 14 tackles, one tackle for loss and one pass defended.
At the end of spring, Matt Campbell offered an encouraging read on where Tatsch stood in his recovery, while also making it clear the linebacker still had work to do before fall.
“[Tatsch] is certainly a little bit ahead of schedule in terms of where we thought he would be,” Campbell told reporters in late April. “But you’ve got to remember, even by the time we get to fall camp, I think he’ll still be limited just because of when that injury occurred.”
There has not been another update on Tatsch since spring ended, but if he remains on that path, Campbell said he could be ready for Week 1.
That matters because Penn State’s depth at linebacker was stretched thin in 2025, especially after Rojas went down. If Tatsch and Rojas are both available for the opener, Campbell should have a much calmer time managing that position group.
The room already has plenty of bodies. Redshirt senior Caleb Bacon, junior Cael Brezina and senior Kooper Ebel are all in the mix, giving Penn State a blend of youth and experience.
Bacon posted 68 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and three sacks in 2025. Brezina added 29 tackles.
Ebel finished with 77 tackles, eight tackles for loss and a sack.
What makes Tatsch so useful is not just the snaps he gave Penn State last season, but the kind of experience he already owns. Big Ten reps matter, and that’s especially true in a room where Bacon, Brezina and Ebel all transferred from Iowa State in the Big 12. Even if Tatsch is sitting behind them on the depth chart, he gives Campbell a dependable option when the game starts moving fast.
And longer term, that early exposure could pay off in a big way. Once the former Cyclone trio and Rojas move on, the room will get younger. By then, Tatsch could be the one steady presence Campbell trusts to keep things together, even if his 2026 role is still mostly rotational.
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Former Penn State QB Is Suddenly Closer To Settling An Old Debate
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His stop at Missouri gave him a chance to start and showed both the upside and the volatility that have followed him around, especially after an ankle injury slowed him late in the year. Now he gets another fresh start in Charlottesville, where the next chapter is less about what he was at Penn State and more about whether this move finally settles the old debate about what kind of quarterback he can be. [Read more 🡒]