Just as Penn State football was preparing to bounc back from its loss at Oregon, the team lost one of its key starters.

Junior linebacker Tony Rojas will miss time with what’s being called a “long-term injury.” The Virginia native has started every game since 2024, and this season he’s recorded 25 tackles and two sacks through four games.

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Head coach James Franklin said during Wednesday’s press conference that the last couple of days haven’t been good for Rojas, but he’s hoping that getting him involved in other ways will be beneficial for him.

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“The guys will rally around Tony and support him like we’ve done in the past,” Franklin said. “This isn’t he first time we’ve been through something like this, and he’s not the last player to go through something like this.

“The hardest part is the initial shock of it. And I think the sooner that Tony can get involved in helping prepare those guys and get them ready to play, the the better we’ll be and and the better he’ll because I think it’ll keep them busy and engaged too.”

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Who will step up with Tony Rojas out?

The first name Franklin mentioned that will play more in Rojas’ absence is redshirt senior Dominic DeLuca, the former walk-on who is a special teams ace for the Nittany Lions who has blocked three punts in his career.

After that, the staff is considering using one, or both, of freshmen Alex Tatsch and Cam Smith. The complication is that both players were slated to redshirt this season, so that is something Franklin and Co. will have to consider.

“Early on, Tatsch was getting a little bit more time with the varsity squad. We’re giving Cam the opportunity now as well, bouncing those guys back and forth between the D squad and varsity,” Franklin said. “They’re going to have an opportunity. This is how it is in college football.

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“One of those guys will hopefully get some work this week. We’ll get a chance to evaluate during practice, and then hopefully some of those guys will get some opportunities during the game on Saturday.”

Penn State travels to California to take on a winless UCLA squad, so while it’s never good timing to trot out new players, this would be most reasonable time to do so.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Penn State football LB Tony Rojas out due to injury