True freshmen duo impressing Penn State football staff in first weeks on campus

A pair of ex-Western Pennsylvania high school standouts are already turning heads among the Penn State football coaching staff. Former Pittsburgh Central Catholic stars and new true freshmen Peter Gonzalez and Anthony Speca are taking the jump to the next level in stride, according to Nittany Lions strength coach Chuck Losey.

Speaking to the media before Lift for Life this week, Chuck Losey praised the preparedness of the two true freshmen despite just arriving on campus last month.

“I got to give credit to, we got two guys that just got here a couple of weeks ago: Speca and Gonzalez,” Losey said. “I’m really impressed with their foundation coming out of high school. They’ve jumped right into it; they’re ready to go.

“If you’d watch one of our sessions right now, you wouldn’t know those kids have only been on campus for a couple of weeks. So I’m really impressed with them.”

© Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK

Revisiting the rankings: Anthony Speca and Peter Gonzalez

While it’s obviously too early to tell, Peter Gonzalez and Anthony Speca could ultimately end up as major success stories in the 2024 recruiting cycle for Penn State football.

Both players were primarily viewed as three-star recruits heading into signing day last December, with some exceptions.

247Sports was higher on Speca than the other recruiting services, ranking the linebacker as the No. 6 in-state prospect and a four-star composite recruit. Speca left Pittsburgh Central Catholic as the program’s all-time leader in tackles.

On3 was more favorable to Gonzalez. It was the only site to give the wide receiver four-star status, ranking him as the No. 8 player in Pennsylvania. Gonzalez had 47 catches for 1,081 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Vikings offense last season.

Can these true freshmen be contributors for Penn State football in 2024?

Even with Anthony Speca and Peter Gonzalez standing out to Chuck Losey and the Nittany Lions staff, it’s one thing to quickly adjust to summer workouts. It’s quite another to become contributors as true freshmen who enroll in early summer.

But with the roster’s outlook, the opportunity could be there for Speca and Gonzalez to see the field some in 2024.

By now, most are familiar with the situation facing the Nittany Lions at wide receiver. James Franklin and the Penn State football staff are confident in the abilities of veteran leaders like Harrison Wallace, Julian Fleming, and Liam Clifford.

But at a position where the directive for the last 18 months has been for separation, it’s hard to rule anyone out of the equation for playing time.

On the other side of the field, the linebackers suffered two key departures: Curtis Jacobs to the NFL and Abdul Carter to the defensive line meeting room. The unit returns Kobe King and Tyler Elsdon, who split starting duties in 2023, and Dom DeLuca, who has played in every game the last two seasons.

But behind them is a wave of young talent. Sophomore Tony Rojas is the most likely candidate to fill a stater’s role, with redshirt sophomore Keon Wylie and redshirt freshmen Ta’Mere Robinson and Kaveion Keys on the rise for more playing time.

Like Rojas did last fall, Speca could work his way up from special teams and garbage time duty throughout the season.

Regardless of what happens this fall, Losey’s comments are a positive sign for two freshmen who did not get an extra spring of adjustment time like the 16 mid-year enrollees in the 2024 class.

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