Oh, Hello: Four-Star LB Tony Rojas Commits to Penn State

THE SKINNY

Height/Weight: 6-foot-1.5, 200 pounds
Hometown/High School: Fairfax, VA (Fairfax H.S.)
Ranking: ★★★★ (0.9504 247Sports Composite — No. 107 overall)
Notable Offers: Clemson, Georgia, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, and Tennessee

HIGHLIGHTS

THE TALE

Rojas bursted onto the recruiting scene last summer during the camp season, earning offers from the likes of Virginia Tech, Maryland, and Duke. Penn State offered shortly thereafter, and it became clear that Rojas would be a major target of the Nittany Lions. The Fairfax native visited Happy Valley multiple times over the last year, and despite a serious push from Georgia and Clemson, Penn State won out in the end, securing Rojas’ commitment heading into his senior season.

Rojas becomes commitment No. 18 in the class, and is the 13th prospect to hold four-star status. He is the first true linebacker prospect in the class, though Alabama product Dakari Nelson could end up at linebacker too.

OUTLOOK

Massive victory for Penn State here. With Brent Pry and now with Manny Diaz, the Nittany Lions put a lot of time and effort into Rojas’ recruitment. I think it could be argued he was a Top 5 overall target for them, so getting him locked in when you had Georgia and Clemson right there should be lauded.

With Rojas, Penn State is getting a really impressive athlete. Good size at 6-foot-1.5 with long arms, and certainly has the frame to get up to 235 pounds. Quick-twitch athlete that is sudden in his movements, but still plays composed and balanced. Top-tier speed for a linebacker; there’s a play in his highlight video where he chases a running back down 40-some yards down the field. That speed is also shown when he’s on offense at running back, to the tune of 1,568 rushing yards as a junior.

I think the question for Rojas will be how he acclimates to linebacker full-time. He plays a lot of defensive end in high school, and while he shows good instincts there, it can be a completely different ball game when you aren’t attacking at the line of scrimmage every play.