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Penn State Searching for New Starting Middle Linebacker; Kobe King Names Trio as Favorites to Replace Him
State College – Speca/Purdue
Penn State LB Anthony Speca in a 49-10 win at Purdue on Nov. 16, 2024. Photo by Paul Burdick | For StateCollege.com
Penn State Football, Penn State Sports
Penn State has its hands full with returning veteran playmakers from the past season. But there are a few positions on defense that will undergo competitions and ultimately present new starters in 2025. There may not be a more significant hole for defensive coordinator Jim Knowles to fill than at middle linebacker, where Kobe King started for the past two years.

King’s pre-draft process is now in full swing after attending the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis last week. And within the Nittany Lions’ facilities, the search for his replacement has begun. There are creative options James Franklin could turn to, but King has his own ideas. He believes the battle should primarily be among three players.

“That’s up in the air right now. But I would say guys like Keon Wiley, Ta’Mere Robinson, Anthony Speca,” King told reporters last Wednesday. “Those guys really have learned a lot along their process and kept their head down and really developed throughout their time at Penn State. But really them being within LBU really set the standard and showed them how to get things done and how to do things the right way. But those guys are really the guys up next for that spot.”

Wiley, Robinson and Speca are three intriguing choices. Wiley missed this past season’s entirety with an injury, but presents himself as the trio’s most experienced candidate with three years at Penn State already under his belt. If not for the injury, Wylie could’ve seen an increased role after tallying 17 tackles and sacks across 13 games in 2023.

“Keon is an elite, elite player, and you saw it towards the end of last year,” linebackers coach Dan Connor said in November. “He was a high school defensive end, so the transition to linebacker is always going to take a little time. You just, you’re seeing the game from a different perspective. … I mean, he has the tools and traits that are really hard to find at that linebacker spot.”

Robinson made a major leap in playing time as a redshirt freshman this past year, making 11 tackles across 14 games, appearing both on defense and special teams. Robinson, like Wylie, also dealt with injuries in 2024 and was sidelined for the team’s first two contests. With a healthy offseason, Robinson could be in line for a promotion to the starting lineup.

Speca is a bit of a wild card in the competition. With just one collegiate season and six total game appearances, Speca is the least experienced of the group. He could, however, possess the most upside. Speca manned King’s middle linebacker role during a 56-0 blowout against Kent State on Sept. 21, when he broke out for a career-high five tackles.

Given that Speca appeared against Oregon in the Big Ten Championship and SMU in the first round of the College Football Playoff, two postseason games that can’t impact a freshman’s redshirt status, it’s possible that he would have appeared in more than four regular season games if Franklin wasn’t cautious about maintaining his redshirt.

“He’s probably one of the smartest linebackers in the room, just with the way he carries himself and how attentive he is to detail, the way he pays attention and asks questions,” King said in November. “He acts like he’s already speaking linebacker terms like he’s a fourth year. His football terminology is up to par already as a freshman.”

It’s also possible the Nittany Lions do their due diligence and check out returning starter Tony Rojas, who typically plays on the outside, at middle linebacker. This could help traditional outside linebackers like Wylie or Robinson quickly integrate themselves within a starting lineup consisting of Rojas and Dominic DeLuca.

King was an equally important player pre- and post-snap. He manned the in-helmet communication microphone, essentially serving as the quarterback of the defense. With this in mind, whoever ultimately replaces King will have more on their plate than just producing in the statistical category. They’ll have some major shoes to fill from a responsibility perspective.
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