3 Penn State players that will be household names by November

Penn State football starts its season in nearly two weeks against West Virginia on September 2 so who are the faces (or jersey numbers) that you may not know now but will by Penn State’s last game on November 24?

While this roster is loaded with household names on both sides of the ball, here are a few players that could step up in a major way for the Nittany Lions early in 2023 and become staples for this year’s squad.

Here are three on my radar:

 1: Tony Rojas

According to 247sports, Rojas was a four-star linebacker out of Fairfax, Virginia, weighing around 225 pounds and 6’2”.

In Rojas’ senior season at Fairfax High School, he had 72 tackles, 14 of those tackles were for a loss, 13 sacks, five forced fumbles, and four pass breakups.

Rojas committed to Penn State on July 14, 2022.

But why get excited about Rojas?

I believe Rojas will pair nicely in a stacked linebacker room with Abdul Carter and Curtis Jacobs.

Manny Diaz is known to be aggressive on defense so expect to see number 13 (Rojas) in the backfield getting sacks and quarterback hits forcing opposing offenses to throw quickly and giving the ball back to the offense.

My Rojas true-freshman season prediction:

• 34 Solo Tackles
• 12 Tackles for Loss
• 52 Combined Tackles
• 8 Sacks
• 1 Forced Fumble

2: Elliot Washington II

Washington II is another freshman looking to make an impact on this talented defense.

According to 247sports, Washington II was a four-star safety out of Venice High School in Venice, Florida.

In his senior season at Venice High School, he had 36 tackles, four interceptions, and eight pass breakups as a defensive back but he also was used as a return man where he had 602 kick return yards and 127 punt return yards.

Washington II committed to Penn State on July 8, 2022, over teams that include Ohio State, Alabama, and Michigan State.

King is set to have a huge year at cornerback, so expect to see Washington II get thrown at a lot by opposing offenses.

Penn State’s projected starting secondary doesn’t include Washington II, according to Sports Illustrated, but this doesn’t mean he won’t get plenty of reps rotating in with the defensive backs.

Washington II is currently listed as a defensive back on Penn State’s roster so he may stick to his high school safety position or be used in the slot.

As stated before, Manny Diaz loves being aggressive and you will see plenty of man coverage out of the secondary. This will give Washington II plenty of game reps and plenty of chances to break up passes or intercept passes.

My prediction for Washington II in his true-freshman season is:

• 10 Solo tackles
• 18 Combined Tackles
• 2 Interceptions
• 10 Passes Defended

3: Liam Clifford

Sound familiar? Liam is the younger brother of former Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford, but Liam is a wide receiver searching for a breakout season.

The wide receiver group is being slept on as the offense has Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen manning the backfield.

Liam may not be a starter but I believe he has the potential to be used in the slot in short passing downs.

In 2022, Clifford played in 11 games and recorded 8 catches for a total of 89 yards.

Clifford changed his number to two this off-season.

Back in March during Penn State’s Pro Day, Liam had a chance as a redshirt sophomore to showcase his skills in front of NFL scouts, not for himself but for his brother Sean Clifford.

My prediction for Liam Clifford for the 2023 season is:

• 25 Catches
• 430 Receiving Yards
• 3 Receiving Touchdowns

Other names to watch for:

1. Dani Dennis-Sutton
2. Omari Evans
3. Mehki Flowers
4. Joseph Mupoyi
5. Ta’Mere Robinson