Penn State will bring back another important defensive player for its 2025 season, as linebacker Dominic DeLuca confirmed on his Instagram page Wednesday afternoon that he’ll return for his senior season. A former walk-on from Wyoming Area High School in West Pittston, Pa., DeLuca used his redshirt in 2021 and has been a regular contributor ever since, playing in all but one game since the 2022 season.
That game was against Illinois earlier this season, but DeLuca returned against UCLA the following week and put together an excellent second half of the season. He finished 2024 with 40 tackles, four tackles for loss, four pass deflections and three interceptions.
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The highlight of his career came in Penn State’s first-round matchup against SMU in the College Football Playoffs last month. Following a slow start on offense, DeLuca shifted the momentum when he intercepted quarterback Kevin Jennings and returned it for a touchdown. Then, with SMU knocking on the door for a score midway through the second quarter, DeLuca intercepted Jennings again, crushing any hope that the Mustangs would be able to rally.
“Dom is just a baller,” head coach James Franklin said about DeLuca following the SMU game. “You’re talking about a guy who was the Pennsylvania Player of the Year. Won a state championship on a torn ACL. Grayshirted to be able to come here. Came as a walk on, earned a scholarship….I think he’s a tremendous example for all of our players on the team. He’s got a smile on his face. He’s appreciative. He works his tail off. Trusted us when we talked about the positions that we wanted to play him and whatever role we’ve asked him to do, he’s done it 100 miles an hour.”
