James Franklin raves about impact of Dom DeLuca in College Football Playoff win vs. SMU

The Penn State Nittany Lions relied heavily on their defense, especially in the first half, of their win over the SMU Mustangs in the College Football Playoff. One player who stood out in particular to head coach James Franklin was Dom DeLuca, a linebacker for the Nittany Lions.

After the game, Franklin praised DeLuca, sharing a bit about his journey to this place and what makes him a special player.

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“Dom is just, he’s a baller,” James Franklin said. “You’re talking about a guy who was Pennsylvania Player of the Year, won a state championship on a torn ACL, gray-shirted to be able to come here, came as a walk-on, earned a scholarship.”

In a game where the Penn State defense actually outscored the entire SMU team, Dom DeLuca stood out. He had three tackles and half a sack. More importantly, he had two interceptions, one of which he returned to the house for a pick-six. That was the first score of the game for Penn State.

DeLuca came to Penn State as a walk-on, which makes his story one of the ones in college football that Franklin believes could be in danger with changes coming to roster construction and he used the example of DeLuca to share why figuring out those issues are so important.

“What a shame that there may not be more stories like this in college football with the 105 rule. Dom DeLuca may not happen at Penn State,” Franklin said. “I love Dom and Mom and Dad. 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.”

Dom DeLuca first came to Penn State in 2021 and was named Penn State’s Developmental Squad Defensive Player of the Year. By 2022, his redshirt freshman season, he was playing on special teams and has since become a key member of the defense.

“There’s a ton of changes in college football, but this is one of these that I’m struggling with because there’s been so many special stories over the years of walk-ons. Whether they’ve earned a scholarship or not, they’ve been just such a significant part of the game and our history,” Franklin said.

“It breaks my heart a little bit that maybe Dom isn’t here if these rules were in place. Just a tremendous young man. He’s a captain. He’s awesome. He’s awesome.”

The next chance for Dom DeLuca and Penn State to play is going to come in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve against the Boise State Broncos.