Aug. 25, 2026, 3:00 p.m.
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There is something about ranking players in football that is so alluring. The NFL releases a yearly Top 100 players list voted on by the players, while college football has its rankings done by independent outlets. Austin Curtright of USA TODAY put out a ranking of the best 100 players in the nation, and it didn’t include a single Penn State player. They did lose a ton of talent in the transfer portal and to the NFL draft, but it’s still a surprise that not one player made it. Truthfully, there probably aren’t many candidates on the Nittany Lions roster who’ve had the exposure to make the list.
But one of the few players that is nationally recognizable, linebacker Tony Rojas, was nowhere to be found. Perhaps the list penalizes players who were injured last season, however, it feels like Rojas’ 2024 season and the start of last year were impactful enough to take into consideration.
He was on a trajectory for career highs in nearly every stat, pacing for 75 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, and six sacks before his season-ending injury. Of course, there’s a great chance that Rojas wouldn’t have reached all of those benchmarks, but anything in that range would have been excellent for someone who mainly plays off-ball linebacker. The snub becomes especially confusing when you consider that one of the players near on the list, Georgia linebacker Chris Cole, put up eerily similar numbers to Rojas’ 2024 season. However, it’s not like Rojas hasn’t been doubted before in his life. He’ll have a chance to gain more recognition for himself in less than two weeks when the Nittany Lions’ season kicks off. Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X and Facebook . If you purchase through our links, the USA Today Network may earn a commission.
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