Over five weeks had passed since the Blue-White Game, when Penn State football’s freshman class of 2021 gathered on the Lasch practice field last Wednesday for their first media opp.
The Landon Tengwalls and the Christian Veilleuxs, the brother who is Liam and the twins that are Kings garnered much of the attention of the two dozen writers, cameramen and TV people on hand.
And then there was the walk-on linebacker who had starred in the Blue-White Game — really a hybrid of spring scrimmage and practice — recording a sack and making two interceptions, returning one of them 39 yards.
He may have been outstanding in his field that day in Beaver Stadium. But this media day, he stood alone out on the practice field. He wore No. 34, a heavy beard, a big shock of poofy dark hair and a look of quiet boredom.
I walked up to him, a media horde of one.
“Are you the famous Dom DeLuca?” I asked.
He didn’t bite, replying flatly: “I mean, I’m Dominic DeLuca.”
“Didn’t you have a crazy good Blue-White Game?” I asked.
“I had an all right Blue-White Game,” he replied. Flatly.
I had forgotten: “Refresh my memory: Did you have one or two picks?’’
“Two.”
The kid was humble. And he certainly wasn’t getting paid by the word.
I told him it must have been pretty cool, having a big game like that for a walk-on.
His initial reply: “I mean, it was just a great to get out there and play in front of everyone and be in Beaver Stadium again and have the crowd back. It was awesome. We were all just happy that we had a great spring.”
He may have been a freshman, but after having a year-plus under his belt he had the coachspeak down pat. Then, with a little bit of prodding, he opened up a little.
“I got a couple of texts from my high school coaches back home,” DeLuca shared. “A couple of my buddies were watching the game on TV. They sent me texts a couple times. So, it was nice to see that they were supporting me. I love the love.”
The love continued after the game, when first-year Nittany Lions defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, who is also DeLuca’s position coach, sought out the young player.
Diaz “said I had a great spring game,” DeLuca said, “and that he loved what I’m doing.”
DeLuca’s performance capped a spring season that began in strong fashion, when Diaz named him “competitor of the week” among the linebackers. DeLuca has the attitude, football savvy and foundation that could help him succeed in seasons to come, perhaps on special teams, maybe more.
Diaz’s boss, head coach James Franklin, had commented on DeLuca’s potential the previous March, just a few weeks into 2021 spring practice, when DeLuca made his mark after enrolling in January 2021. Franklin announced that DeLuca was moving from safety – his position in high school – to linebacker.
“…this was an opportunity for Dom, a guy that we’re excited about,” Franklin said at the time. “He was Mr. PA in the state last year. (It’s) an opportunity for him to get more reps in practice as well.”
DeLuca made the most of the opportunity. In 2021, he played on special teams vs. Ball State, Auburn and in the Outback Bowl. He was named a co-winner of the team’s Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year. And he worked his way back to full strength (more on that in a moment).
The son of Ree-Ree and Carl DeLuca of West Pittston, Pa., may be a man of few words. But his actions speak louder.
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Outstanding in his field. Indeed. And in deed.
Forget the two picks in the Blue-White Game. That DeLuca was even playing in the spring game was a big deal.
At Wyoming Area High School, located between Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, DeLuca was a four-year starter, a three-time captain and a two-way standout. A quarterback on offense and a safety on defense, DeLuca led Wyoming Area to the 2029 Class 3A championship in December 2019.
And he did so with a torn ACL.
The injury came in the middle of the third quarter of the title game at Hersheypark Stadium. He missed one play, then went back in. By the start of the fourth quarter, Central Valley led Wyoming Area 14-0. DeLuca responded by throwing two touchdown passes and running for the winning score in the final seconds to lead Wyoming Area to a come-from-behind 21-14 victory.
It capped a stellar season — he was the PA Football Writers Class 3A all-state quarterback and player of the year, accounting for 34 TDs (21 pass, 13 rush), while throwing just five interceptions. And it capped a stellar career, during which he threw for 3,880 yards and ran for 1,906 more.
And those interceptions in the Blue-White Game? Not a surprise. He made a dozen picks as a ball-hawking safety who wasn’t afraid to stick his nose in there – he had 201 career tackles.
In high school, DeLuca also lettered in basketball, lacrosse and track and field. He was on student council and did community service. And I bet he even took out the garbage at home without being asked.
Here’s what his coach, Randy Spencer (pictured above with DeLuca), had to say about DeLuca when he was ranked No. 7 on the 2010-2019 all-decade team by NEPAFootball.com:
“Legendary, historic, heroic…these are the words that have been used to describe Dominic DeLuca’s performance, who together with his teammates led our team to our first state championship. He combined talent, heart and courage over a remarkable four-year varsity career.”
In March 2020, DeLuca announced his was going to walk on at Penn State. But first, he had to rehab his left knee, which had suffered an 80% tear. He finally enrolled as a preferred walk-on at Penn State in January 2021, picking the Nittany Lions over opportunities at West Virginia and Pitt.
• • •
Eventually last Wednesday, another reporter found his way to DeLuca. But, mostly, he was a hidden gem.
His is the quintessential walk-on story. Add a repaired and rehabbed ACL and his is already a success story.
DeLuca can run a 4.6 40, but he is hoping to get in the 4.5’s. DeLuca says he is “6-1, 6-2,” and 215 pounds — though that was after shedding some pounds over spring break “eating my mom’s cooking.”
In some small ways DeLuca reminds me of Shane Conlan, who was listed at 6-3 and 225 pounds as a fifth-year Penn State linebacker who led PSU to the 1986 national championships. Conlan was a high school basketball workhorse, a guy from the small-town lights of Frewsburg, N.Y., an incredibly hard worker and a humble player of few words. He was a two-time first-team All-American and is inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame. And he is a really good guy.
I’m not saying Dominic DeLuca will be another Shane Conlan. Conlan was, in many ways, the archetype old-school Penn State linebacker and, like DeLuca had a nose for the ball and making the big play – Conlan had two interceptions of Miami’s Vinny Testaverde in the 1987 Fiesta Bowl.
But there’s a glint of Shane in Dom, however tiny and maybe fleeting.
I asked DeLuca what it was like for him in class – he’s an agri-business major, and wants to own a farm someday – the Monday after the Blue-White Game. Did any students give him props?
“No. None,” he said. “It’s all good. I don’t need the recognition.”
That will come; to start, it’s likely he’ll be first-string on some special teams in the fall. And, the way DeLuca looks at it, he already received his just reward of sorts (but by no means the final one) by his performance in the Blue-White Game. He can take pride in that, I told him.
“Yes, I can. I can,” he agreed in characteristic succinct manner. Then, he put it into perspective:
“It shows that I’m here to play and I’m not going to have that walk-on mentality that everyone says,” DeLuca said. “I mean, hopefully that put my name on the coach’s list and on everyone else’s list. I’m just gonna wait for my opportunity. When it comes, I’ll be ready for it.”
