Penn State’s linebacker room has turned into one of those problems every coach wants: too many options, not enough snaps.
Tyson Veidt pointed to two names on Tuesday that have started to separate themselves in camp, and both are making a case to climb the depth chart. Junior Cael Brezina and redshirt freshman Cam Smith, Veidt said, have put together strong consecutive days and may be forcing their way into the conversation as the season nears.
“You know, there's a couple guys that have stacked consecutive days, clearly stacked consecutive days from spring to now. Those 2 guys that did that through Saturday were Cael Brezina and Cam Smith," Veidt said.
"Honestly, those have been their best days of practice if we counted spring to now. So that part's really encouraging on both of those guys because they're certainly key pieces for us.”
That kind of development only deepens what is already a loaded group. Penn State’s setup under D’Anton Lynn, who brought his 4-2-5 system from USC, gives the Nittany Lions room to lean on linebacker talent in different ways. And with Matt Campbell’s background in a 3-3-5 defense at Iowa State, the staff has inherited a room built to handle volume, versatility and competition.
The top of the group is strong enough on its own. Tony Rojas and Kooper Ebel are projected starters, and together they rank among the best linebacker tandems in the country. Behind them, though, Penn State has several more players who look capable of starting in the Big Ten.
Alex Tatsch is back after an injury and had a promising freshman season. Caleb Bacon, an All-Big 12 honorable mention, brings a different kind of value after spending the spring at linebacker and also working toward a role at defensive end.
Brezina logged 328 snaps for the Cyclones and made 23 tackles last season. Smith, meanwhile, arrived as a four-star recruit in 2025 out of St.
Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia and was ranked the No. 11 overall player in Pennsylvania.
Put together, that gives Penn State three linebacker pairings with real depth behind the starters. The Big Ten doesn’t have many rooms that can match that kind of supply.
There’s still a catch, though. Linebacker is not a position where you can simply cycle bodies in and out whenever you want.
One of Rojas or Ebel will wear the green dot this season, which means that player gets the helmet communication from the sideline and can’t leave the field. The other one probably shouldn’t be coming off much either.
That leaves Penn State with the kind of depth most teams would love to have, and a coaching staff trying to sort out how best to use it.
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