Penn State linebacker Jesse Luketa will get time this season at defensive end, according to coach James Franklin, who spoke to the media on Saturday.
“We’re going to split his time,” Franklin said. “I would say probably more of his time will be spent at defensive end in training camp, just because he has such a foundation and history at the linebacker position, already within the same scheme.”
Franklin had alluded to the idea Luketa could see time at a second position this upcoming season earlier in the year but had not – despite defensive end being the only probable option – addressed specifics until Saturday. The news relative to Luketa came in conjunction with the announcement defensive end Adisa Isaac would likely miss all of Penn State’s upcoming season due to injury.
“We want to get [Luketa] to the point where he’s really comfortable and effective in what we’re going to ask him to do at defensive end,” Franklin continued. “Obviously, we still need to keep him sharp at linebacker, as well. I see him playing both roles. I think there’s some things that we can do with packages to take advantage of that, where people aren’t sure whether he’s playing a linebacker in our scheme or a defensive end and how they’re going to account for him in the running game or how they’re going to account for him in pass protection. So, there’s a number of reasons, you know, that we’re doing it. One, to gain an advantage through a guy that’s got a unique skill set. Also, to help us with some depth.”
Luketa is Penn State’s most experienced linebacker but played through the 2020 season in his biggest role thus far with mixed results. While the Canadian product certainly proved to be plenty capable of carrying a larger load following the departure of star linebacker Micah Parsons to the NFL, Luketa had some bad mixed in with the good. Albeit a fairly common run of play for any player stepping into a larger role.
Nevertheless, there’s little doubt that Luketa will play a major part in Penn State’s linebacker group and general core defensive unit in 2021.
“First of all, excited about Jesse having a dual role in our defense,” Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Pry said on Saturday. “Jesse’s one of those guys, like Micah [Parsons], like Nick Tarburton, Cam Brown, those guys that are hybrid guys coming in — Brandon Smith, to a degree — and have the ability to have traits to both positions, and so we’re able to maximize what Jesse can do well and maximize his assets by playing him some on the edge.”
With Parsons now two years removed from the program it is fitting to a certain extent that Luketa – the primary linebacker to replace Parsons – will see time at defensive end, the very same position Parsons had played in high school prior to making the switch to linebacker. All the same, Luketa will still provide the Nittany Lions with a stout tandem with rising junior Brandon Smith and redshirt senior Ellis Brooks.
“As far as linebacker, Jesse’s still training there. It’s still a 1-2 punch with him and Ellis at the middle linebacker position,” Pry said.
So far in his career Luketa has appeared in 35 games with 90 tackles to his name, set to add to that total from multiple locations on the field.
