Oh Hello: Four-Star LB Anthony Speca Commits to Penn State

Height/Weight: 6-foot-2, 220 pounds

Hometown/High School: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Central Catholic)

Ranking: ★★★★ (0.8951 247Sports Composite)

Notable Offers: Michigan, Ohio State, Notre Dame

HIGHLIGHTS

THE TALE

Anthony Speca has been a familiar face around Penn State’s campus since first receiving an offer back in April 2021. Just this past weekend, Speca was a part of Penn State’s first Junior Day.

From the beginning, this appeared to be a Penn State vs. Michigan battle for Speca’s pledge with the hometown Nittany Lions winning out. Notre Dame and Ohio State were also prominent players in Speca’s recruitment. Count this as a #dominatethestate win - a prized linebacker from Western PA choosing the home-state school over two conference rivals and playoff contenders is a big deal.

Speca finally gives Penn State another commit in the Class of 2024, joining Eric McDowell offensive lineman Cooper Cousins.

OUTLOOK

While his name may make you think safety at Penn State, Speca already has good size and experience playing Mike linebacker. When he first suits up for the Lions, Kobe King and Tyler Elsdon figure to still be prominent players in the middle and Penn State loaded up on linebackers in this past recruiting class.

That means Speca should have time to learn the ropes, but his productivity at Central Catholic where he was one of the team’s leading tacklers on WPIAL champions his first two years figures to be noticed. Last year, the Vikings went 7-5 and Speca missed some time due to injury. Expect Speca to see the field early based on Penn State’s love of playing a lot of bodies on defense.