Penn State linebacker Tony Rojas set to stick with the Lions for the 2026 season

Penn State junior linebacker Tony Rojas will stick with the Nittany Lions for the 2026 season instead of entering the NCAA transfer portal when it opens on Jan. 2. The Virginia native spent the last three seasons in State College after signing with the Nittany Lions as a Rivals Industry Rankings four-star recruit in the Class of 2023.

“I want to start first by giving thanks to Coach Franklin and his incredible staff for the past three years,
I chose Penn State because of the family and brotherhood that is far beyond football here,” Rojas wrote on Twitter. “The past three seasons have been an incredible ride with a lot of historic moments and lifetime memories I will be able to hold on to. But as we all know, this season was nothing but a roller coaster, and I was in disbelief and hurt when I went down. I felt like I let myself down and most importantly my teammates down. Coach Terry has been nothing but a mentor and a motivator during this time. And he led our team to where we finished the season.

“With that being said after lots of talks with my family [about] my senior year, I’m ready to finish what me and my teammates started and I’m ready to flip this thing and tell an incredible story with Coach Campbell and his new staff. I have 100% belief in what Coach Campbell will do here at Penn State and it’s only right for me to stay and help lead the way to bring this place to where it is meant to be.”

Rojas will be returning to the field next fall after suffering a season-ending injury during practice in late September. Before that, he totaled 25 tackles (4.5 for loss) over the Lions’ first four games in addition to two sacks in 2025.

“Guys will rally around him and support him like we’ve done in the past,” former Penn State head coach James Franklin said in October when asked about Rojas’ injury. “This isn’t the first time we’ve been through something like this. And, he’s not the last player to go through something like this.

“The hardest part is the initial shock of it and the initial news of it. But, the next guy is going to have to step up. And the sooner that Tony can get involved in helping prepare those guys, the better we’ll be and the better he’ll be, because it will keep him busy and engaged, too.”

Rojas’ Penn State career was impacted by injuries

Rojas has played during all three of his seasons in State College. But, despite playing all of the 2024 season, he dealt with an upper-body injury for the duration of the year. Then, he missed the final nine games of this season. The Virginia native will be a redshirt junior in 2026 and have two seasons of eligibility remaining. He took home All-Big Ten honorable mention honors from the conference’s coaches in 2024. Once healthy, he figures to be a fixture in the middle of the Penn State defense.