Penn State football: Western PA LB flashing as redshirt freshman says Tom Allen

Penn State football will be looking for new names to step up and fill the void at historic Linebacker U. One of the fresh faces vying to take on an expanded role for the Nittany Lions this fall is second-year defender Ta’Mere Robinson. This week, defensive coordinator Tom Allen offered an exciting evaluation for the former western Pennsylvania star now midway through spring practice of his redshirt freshman season.

Ta’Mere Robinson has “flashed” in spring practice, says Tom Allen

Ta’Mere Robinson finished high school as one of the top prospects in Pennsylvania despite barely taking the field in the latter half of his career. A three-time captain at Brashear High School in Pittsburgh, Robinson’s junior year was cut short with an ACL and MCL injury, which also caused him to miss his senior season. Still, Robinson tallied 111 tackles in three and a half seasons. He was a consensus four-star prospect and top-five player out of the Keystone State in the 2023 cycle. 

Robinson was eased back into game action for the first time in almost two years last fall, only making two appearances and recording two tackles against UMass in his redshirt season. But now in 2024, Ta’Mere Robinson is ready to hit the ground running. 

“He’s one that’s flashed,” defensive coordinator Tom Allen said when asked about Robinson following spring practice last Tuesday. “As a matter of fact, even today, I thought he stuck out. He’s making plays, especially when he runs the alley. I think his confidence is growing each day in our system and learning the things that we’re doing that are different.”

Getting used to his new personnel in his first spring in State College, Allen offered his evaluation of the 6-3, 225-pound redshirt freshman linebacker. 

“To me, it’s his ability to track the ball, strike, and finish,” Allen said. “He’s got long levers, and he can run, and that’s a great quality.”

Resetting the Penn State linebacker room

Linebacker will look much different for Penn State football in 2024 than it did a season ago. With Curtis Jacobs off to the NFL and Abdul Carter transitioning to defensive end, the Nittany Lions defense will only return its starting middle linebacker, duties split by Kobe King and Tyler Elsdon in 2023. The unit also returns team captain Dom DeLuca, who has recorded 58 tackles in all 26 games over the last two seasons. 

These openings present opportunities for young Nittany Lions to come into their own. The name that immediately comes to mind is Tony Rojas, who flashed with 21 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss in nine games as a true freshman last fall. 

But other than that, the discussion is relatively open. Like Ta’Mere Robinson, Keon Wylie and Kaveion Keys are also young players who seem poised to make strides in 2024. 

There’s more playing time up for grabs at linebacker than there has been over the last few seasons for Penn State football. Regardless of who steps up to fill the void, Tom Allen will look to the unit to lead the defense.

“That’s the group I’m really going to challenge to run our defense,” Allen said. “That’s what linebackers do. They make tackles, they make plays, and they lead with leadership and production.”

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