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Penn State Football News: New player on scholarship, rival coach possibly on the move

By Alec Whitaker

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA - OCTOBER 19: (L-R) Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions shakes hands with head coach Jim Harbaugh of the Michigan Wolverines after the game on October 19, 2019 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. Penn State defeats Michigan 28-21. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA - OCTOBER 19: (L-R) Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions shakes hands with head coach Jim Harbaugh of the Michigan Wolverines after the game on October 19, 2019 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. Penn State defeats Michigan 28-21. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /
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Penn State football enters one of the most critical offseason of James Franklin’s tenure as he looks to build off of the 11-2 season.

The Nittany Lions will have plenty of roster movement over the next few days as the Spring semester will begin on Jan. 9. Penn State has already added three players from the transfer portal, and that number is expected to increase before the start of next season.

There will be plenty of portal coverage to come, but this Penn State football news update focuses on a couple other noteworthy stories.

Dominic DeLuca now on scholarship

Penn State walk on linebacker Dominic DeLuca is now on scholarship, according to Sean Fitz of On3. The redshirt freshman from West Pittston, Pa was a pleasant surprise for the Nittany Lions defense this season. DeLuca, who lined up primarily at the SAM position, recorded 29 total tackles with a sack this season. He helped fill some of the depth for the linebacker group, which was a concern heading into 2022.

The Nittany Lions are now set up nicely at linebacker in 2023, especially if Curtis Jacobs returns next season. This was a well-deserved honor for DeLuca.

Jim Harbaugh back to the NFL?

There’s a chance Penn State football has faced Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh for the final time. A report this past Monday by Bruce Feldman of The Athletic says that it could be a “Done deal” for Harbaugh to return to the NFL if he is offered a head coaching position.

On Tuesday, Will Kunkel of Fox reported that Harbaugh had conversations with Carolina Panthers owner Dave Tepper about the team’s head coaching vacancy. Harbaugh was linked to the Minnesota Vikings coaching vacancy last offseason.

Harbaugh has been at Michigan since 2015 and has led the Wolverines to the last two College Football Playoff thanks to back-to-back wins over Ohio State, which resulted in two Big Ten championships.

Penn State is 3-5 against Harbaugh’s Michigan teams.

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