Penn State announces Camp Kings
Penn State announced its 'Camp Kings' on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball Wednesday. On the offensive side of the ball with the "Touchdown Kings," there are little surprises as sophomore quarterback Drew Allar and junior wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith.Allar is competing with redshirt freshman quarterback Beau Pribula to be the Nittany Lions starting quarterback this fall, while Lambert-Smith is looking to become the program's No. 1 wide receiver. Last season, Lambert-Smith totaled 24 receptions for 389 yards and four touchdowns.
On the defensive side of the ball, the team's "Takeaway Kings" were redshirt senior nickleback Daequan Hardy and true freshman linebacker Tony Rojas. Hardy has been a critical part of Penn State's secondary each of the last two seasons, playing in 26 games and totaling 38 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, three interceptions, and 16 pass deflections.
Rojas, a true freshman out of Fairfax, Virginia, has had a great deal of hype building around him this offseason and fall camp for where he is in his development before his true freshman season. While it's unclear how much Rojas will play, it is expected that the 6-foot-2, 225-pound will be a freshman who gets the "green light" from James Franklin and the coaching staff. He'll likely back up Curtis Jacobs for the SAM linebacker spot, competing with Dominic DeLuca for the second-string job.
Dominic DeLuca earns No.0 jersey
Speaking of Dominic Deluca, the Penn State redshirt sophomore linebacker will be wearing the No. 0 jersey for the Nittany Lions this fall. The program announced DeLuca earning the jersey number on social media Wednesday.A former on, DeLuca was put on scholarship by the Nittany Lions last year before the Rose Bowl. The former Wyoming Area standout played in all 13 games for Penn State season both on defense and special teams, becoming a critical member of the Nittany Lions' success in both facets. In total, he finished the 2022 season with 29 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, a pass breakup, and one blocked punt. Alongside running back Tank Smith, DeLuca was given the team's Outstanding Run-On Award.
After the NCAA allowed the use of the No.0 prior to the 2021 season, the Nittany Lions decided they would use the number for their "special teams ace". DeLuca will now be the second Nittany Lion to wear the No. 0 jersey after Jonathan Sutherland did so for each of the last two seasons.
