4 stories this week, from 4 outlets.
Penn State LB Tony Rojas named Butkus Award semifinalist
Heavy +1 Oct 29
Tony Rojas
Fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge. The four seasons at Penn State span three head coaches: James Franklin, Terry Smith and Matt Campbell. A game that shows it: 12 tackles and 2 tackles for loss against Michigan — Week 7, 2026.
58 tackles · 5 sacks
Play style
Downhill striker who fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
58 tackles. 2 passes defended. 2 interceptions. 10.5 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
from 4 outlets
Penn State LB Tony Rojas named Butkus Award semifinalist
Heavy +1 Oct 29 · 2 outlets
Heavy +1Penn State LB Tony Rojas named Butkus Award semifinalistOct 29
247SportsPenn State star Tony Rojas named semifinalist for college football's top linebacker awardOct 30from 16 outlets
Penn State LB Tony Rojas named Butkus Award semifinalist
Heavy +1 Oct 29 · 2 outlets
Onward State +1Penn State Football Linebacker Tony Rojas Named To Hispanic College Football Player Of The Year Watch ListAug 27
Black Shoe Diaries +1BSD MVP Wisconsin: Tony RojasSep 28Onward State +1Penn State Football Linebacker Tony Rojas Named AP Second-Team Midseason All-AmericanOct 15Heavy +1Penn State LB Tony Rojas named Butkus Award semifinalistOct 29
The Morning Call +1Penn State football: Tony Rojas ready to prove he’s a top-tier linebackerAug 5
PennLiveTony Rojas says Penn State’s new DTs are all-in: ‘They’re willing to do anything’Sep 4Heavy +1Onward State +1Black Shoe Diaries +1
On3Onward State +1Black Shoe DiariesOn3The Morning Call +1Each week: his team’s game, the stories about him that week, and the week’s biggest news headline.
Stories are headlines grouped by what they are about, counted through Nov 4.
Fans first named Tony Rojas vs Marshall.
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteOct 29
Sports IllustratedOct 28Onward StateOct 28On3Oct 27Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Penn State | 58 | 30 | 10.5 | 5.0 | 2 | 2 |
| 2025 | Penn State | 25 | 13 | 4.5 | 2.0 | 1 | -- |
| 2024 | Penn State | 56 | 34 | 6.5 | 1.5 | 4 | 3 |
| 2023 | Penn State | 21 | 7 | 4.5 | 1.0 | -- | 1 |
| Career | 160 | 84 | 26.0 | 9.5 | 7 | 6 |
Last game (Wk 9): 2 tackles.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 45-0vs Marshall | 7 | 6 | 2.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 27-9@ Temple | 7 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 55-13vs Buffalo | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 4 | L 20-24vs Wisconsin | 6 | 4 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | L 13-34@ Northwestern | 12 | 5 | 3.5 | 1.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 12 tackles |
| Wk 6 | L 23-31vs No. 19 USC | 10 | 4 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 18-21@ Michigan | 12 | 4 | 2.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | W 31-17vs Purdue | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 58 | 30 | 10.5 | 5.0 | 2 | 2 |
Oct. 31 · W 31-17 vs Purdue, play by play
2 tackles. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 10 tackles for loss, 5 of them sacks, in the 8 games with play by play.
How Penn State’s defense played that day
Purdue’s 9 drives: 7 stopped (2 takeaways) · 2 scored. While the game was within a score they held 5 of 6. His hurry came with Penn State up 7.
A big game: 12 tackles, including 1 more for loss, 1 sack.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
10 tackles, including 1 sack.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Sacked the quarterback for a 6-yard loss. First quarter, tied 0-0.
Forced a fumble. Second quarter, tied 14-14.
12 tackles, including 2 more for loss, 1 sack, 1 pass broken up, tied for 2nd-most tackles for loss in FBS that week.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Sacked the quarterback for a 9-yard loss on 3rd and 6. First quarter, tied 0-0.
6 tackles, including 1 more for loss, 1 sack, 1 interception. His interception ended Wisconsin’s drive (int).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Sacked the quarterback for a 2-yard loss. Second quarter, up 17-0.
Intercepted. Fourth quarter, up 20-10. Ended Wisconsin’s drive (int).
2 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
7 tackles, including 1 interception. His interception ended Temple’s drive (int).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Intercepted. First quarter, tied 0-0. Ended Temple’s drive (int).
7 tackles, including 1 more for loss, 1 sack. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 6 of his 7, sacks included.
Sacked the quarterback for a 0-yard loss on 3rd and 17. First quarter, up 17-0.
Conference ranks count every player in the conference with a row in that stat, any position. Career ranks count current FBS players, from the games in our log.
Ratings of the games shown run from -12 to +14 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
58tackles this seasonTFL rate
18%10 TFLSack rate
9%5 sacksPD rate
3%2 pass breakups58 tackles · 10.5 for loss · 5 sacks · 2 interceptions.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 5.4 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.2 |
| Road3g | 10.3 | 1.8 | 0.7 | 0.3 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 8.0 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 0.3 |
| Weeks 8+1g | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Matt Campbell
Pass share
46.5%
251 pass / 289 run
Plays / game
67.5
8 games
Team sack rate
4.7%
278 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
58 tackles in 8 games, more tackles a game than most FBS linebackers who play every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Former four-star. Now #5 at the position.
2026 is in progress.
A stat line in 34 games over four seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
3 coachesPlayed under 3 different head coaches: James Franklin, Terry Smith, and Matt Campbell. Multi-era developmental context.
