Tony Rojas is one of nine players on Penn State’s roster from the state of Virginia, so many people have been connecting the dots between the junior linebacker and his former coach, who is settling in at Virginia Tech. However, on social media Tuesday night, Rojas went out of his way to shut down the rumors that he’ll be following James Franklin to Blacksburg.
A Virginia Tech content creator, ProgrumsVT on Twitter, theorized, as many have, that Rojas will be one of the first players on Penn State’s roster that Franklin contacts. Rojas, who is not active on social media much at all, hopped into the replies, posting a thumbs down in response to a Penn State alum who said “you are 100% getting Tony Rojas.”
👎🏽
— Tony Rojas (@Tony_Rojas5) November 24, 2025
Tony Rojas responds to theory that he’ll return to his home state with James Franklin
Rojas is a multi-year starter for the Nittany Lions, emerging as a meaningful contributor in 2023 as a true freshman. He was set to lead the defense as the green dot player this year, but went down with a season-ending injury in the Nittany Lions’ Week 5 loss to Oregon.
There was a distinct possibility that Rojas, with a new coaching staff coming in, would leave Happy Valley and use the final two years of his eligibility elsewhere. He appeared in just four games this season, so he will preserve his year of eligibility with a redshirt, leaving his two additional years.
Rojas originally took to social media to voice his support for interim head coach Terry Smith. After Penn State’s Week 13 win over Nebraska, players brought “Hire Terry Smith” signs onto the field to hold in front of the NBC cameras. Rojas posted a screenshot of teammates holding that sign, another in a line of Nittany Lions backing their interim head coach to replace James Franklin in a full-time capacity.
Former Penn State quarterback Michael Robinson, now part of NBC’s weekly Saturday night broadcasts, was a vocal advocate of Smith’s at halftime of last week’s game, citing conversations with Penn State players and coaches who told him that they would stay in Happy Valley if Smith is hired full-time. It appears that Rojas may be one of those players.
The question now is whether Rojas is staying at Penn State or just not going to Virginia Tech. His thumbs down was directly to going to Virginia Tech; he could be looking elsewhere in the transfer portal, or his loyalty to Penn State could be conditional on the program hiring Smith.
It’ll be an interesting offseason no matter which direction Penn State goes in this coaching search, but it seems possible that Rojas will be a part of the program going forward, and that’s huge for the defense.