Penn State Football recruiting: 2023 mock class 1.0

Linebacker (3)

Penn State Basketball needs to continue to replenish the linebacker ranks, which have withered away a bit over the past two years.

With Brandon Smith, Jesse Luketa, and Ellis Brooks all moving on, the Nittany Lions will have just five returning scholarship linebackers in 2022 and then two true freshmen in Keon Wylie and Abdul Carter.

Luckily for first-year defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, he has a healthy amount of recruits to target. The most notable is the Pittsburgh area 4-star Ta’Mere Robinson. At 6-foot-4 and 210, Robinson has size for linebacker, and if he grows too much, he’ll have a good career at defensive end.

Behind Robinson is 4-star Josiah Trotter, 4-star Semaj Bridgeman 3-star James Heard,4-star Phil Picciotti and 4-star Tony Rojas. Trotter, Bridgeman, Heard and Picciotti are all Pennsylvania recruits. The Nittany Lions won’t have to go far to fill their linebacker haul in the 2023 class.

Picciotti may actually be the toughest pull, as he has picked up plenty of big offers, including Notre Dame and Oklahoma. Heard took a visit to Happy Valley for the Auburn game, but he did not attend a junior day in January. Robinson, Rojas and Bridgeman were all on campus in January for visits.

The Picks: Ta’Mere Robinson, Tony Rojas & Phil Picciotti