#40

Jesse Luketa

Former linebacker at Penn State. 2021: 61 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks.

LB · Penn State · Jr. · #40

6′3″ · 242 lb · Ottawa, ON

CFB Index 67 · #144 of 578 LBsHigh confidenceAll-ConferenceArizona — drafted 2022, Rd 7, Pick 35, #256 overall

Recruiting

4★

ILB recruit

No. 238 nationally · Signed with Penn State

No college snaps yet.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

Former linebacker at Penn State. 2021: 61 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks.

Signed as a 4-star recruit to Penn State in 2018.
Drafted round 7 by the Arizona in 2022.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Four seasons at Penn State, 151 tackles — drafted at #256 overall by Arizona.

His career

He arrived as a blue-chip recruit and played like one.

20185 games

Signed with Penn State4-star out of Mercyhurst Preparatory School

202111 games

The role got bigger.

All-Big Tenthird

2022

Drafted by Arizonaround 7, pick 256

Career arc

Recruit

★★★★

#238 national

CFB

College

Penn State

2018–2021

NFL

NFL Draft

R7 · #256

Arizona · 2022

Trophy case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

1 honor

🎖

ALL-BIG TEN

All-Big Ten mention (2021)

Coaching lineage · 2018–2021

1 coach

2018–2021

James Franklin

Penn State

Played his entire career under James Franklin.

Where He Ended Up · NFL

ArizonaEntering 5th NFL season

#256Rd 7 · Pick 35

ArizonaEntering 5th NFL season

View college career stats ↓

2021 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

4 seasons under James Franklin — 31-17 over that span.

2018Penn State9-4HC: James Franklin · Run-leaning

2019Penn State11-2HC: James Franklin · Run-leaning

2020Penn State4-5HC: James Franklin · Run-leaning, fast tempo

2021Penn State7-6HC: James Franklin · Balanced

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

67Quality starter #144 of 578?

High confidence7 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: qb hurries (94th percentile). Strength: tackles for loss (92nd percentile). Concern: passes defended (19th percentile).

Box-score production (7)

QB hurries#138 / 2743 · 94th pct

Tackles for loss#212 / 2743 · 92nd pct

8.5

Tackles#390 / 2743 · 86th pct

Solo tackles#437 / 2743 · 83rd pct

Sacks#1293 / 2743 · 50th pct

0.5

Interceptions#320 / 824 · 31st pct

Passes defended#1695 / 2743 · 19th pct

Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2021 season · 11 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home7g	4.4	0.4	0.1	0.0
Road4g	5.2	1.2	0.0	0.0

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-76g	4.5	0.8	0.0	0.0
Weeks 8+5g	5.0	0.6	0.1	0.0

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Matt Campbell

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2021

All-Conference

Picked for an all-conference team by at least one selector.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

67 · #144 of 578 LBs

Former four-star. Now #144 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2021	Penn State	61	34	8.5	0.5	--	1	--
2020	Penn State	59	31	2.5	0.0	2	--	--
2019	Penn State	24	15	0.5	0.0	4	--	--
2018	Penn State	7	5	0.0	0.0	--	--	--
Career		151	85	11.5	0.5	6	1	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2021

W 16–10

at Wisconsin

5 TOT · 4 SOLO · 1 QB HUR

A wire-to-wire battle — won by 6 on the road.

With J. Stout — 24 LONG · 50 PCT · 4 PTS · S. Clifford — 247 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 73.5 · 5 rush yds (6 car)

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2021 season · 11 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	TFL	SACK	INT	Note
Wk 1	W 16-10@ Wisconsin	5	4	0.0	0.0	—
Wk 2	W 44-13vs Ball State	4	2	0.5	0.0	1
Wk 3	W 28-20vs Auburn	8	6	1.0	0.0	—	Season-high 8 tackles
Wk 4	W 38-17vs Villanova	2	2	0.0	0.0	—
Wk 5	W 24-0vs Indiana	3	0	0.5	0.0	—
Wk 6	L 20-23@ Iowa	5	4	2.5	0.0	—	2.5 TFL
Wk 8	L 18-20vs Illinois	6	3	0.5	0.5	—
Wk 9	L 24-33@ Ohio State	7	4	1.0	0.0	—
Wk 11	L 17-21vs Michigan	7	3	0.0	0.0	—
Wk 12	W 28-0vs Rutgers	1	0	0.0	0.0	—
Wk 13	L 27-30@ Michigan State	4	2	1.5	0.0	—
Total		52	30	7.5	0.5	1

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology