Penn State announces team captains for 2023 season

The Penn State football team has seen enough in fall camp to name its team captains for the 2023 season.

According to a graphic released on X by the program, receiver Malick Meiga, tight end Theo Johnson, offensive tackle Olu Fashanu, defensive end Adisa Isaac, linebacker Dominic DeLuca and safety Keaton Ellis will serve as this year’s captains.

It’s a good representation across the team, with three offensive players and three defensive players represented, as well as players at various levels of each unit.

Let’s take a closer look at each of the 2023 team captains.

Penn State 2023 Team Captains

WR Malick Meiga: A 6-foot-4 junior, Meiga was recognized as Penn State’s top special teams player last season. He appeared primarily on special teams, logging four tackles and a forced fumble. When he did get a chance to play some receiver he made three catches for 19 yards.

TE Theo Johnson: A 6-foot-6 junior and a towering target, Johnson appears on this year’s Mackey Award watch list, with the Mackey being given annually to the nation’s top tight end. He has some production at his position under his belt, unlike Meiga. He appeared in 11 games last year and started nine of them, tallying 20 catches for 328 yards and four touchdowns.

OT Olu Fashanu: Perhaps the biggest shoe-in to be one of the team captains, Fashanu was getting first-round NFL Draft buzz before he made the decision to return for another year. He’ll be the absolute anchor of an offensive line out to prove its among the nation’s best. Fashanu was a second-team Walter Camp All-American last fall and will be gunning for more this time around. He has made nine career starts.

DE Adisa Isaac: A redshirt senior, Isaac has a ton of experience at this point. He earned All-Big Ten third-team honors from the league’s coaches last season. During his career he has logged 55 tackles, 15.5 tackles for a loss, 7.0 sacks and a forced fumble, proving to be quite a disruptive presence on the edge.

LB Dominic DeLuca: One of the younger players to be named one of the team captains, DeLuca is a redshirt sophomore. He earned the team’s Outstanding Run-On Award in 2022, sharing it with Tank Smith, showing he’s a guy the program values as a hard-worker dedicated to the team. He finished his 2022 season with 29 tackles, 2.0 tackles for a loss, 1.0 sacks, a blocked kick and a pass defended

S Keaton Ellis: A senior safety, Ellis has been a productive player for quite some time in Happy Valley. He tied for ninth in Penn State history with three forced fumbles during the 2019 season. In total during his career he has made 72 tackles, 3.0 tackles for a loss, an interception, three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and 13 passes defended.