WATCH: Penn State football shares moment Dom DeLuca earned scholarship

Penn State Football’s Twitter account shared a heartfelt moment on Saturday, as they posted a video of Nittany Lions’ walk-on linebacker Dominic DeLuca getting put on scholarship by head coach James Franklin amongst the entire team.

Before announcing to the team that DeLuca was on scholarship, he shared his season stats, which included 383 total snaps, 189 on defense and 194 on special teams, along with 27 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, two quarterback hurries, a pass breakup, and a blocked kick.

DeLuca did it all for Penn State this season, and his scholarship was clearly well warranted based on the embrace and celebration he received from his teammates and coaches following Franklin’s announcement.

In case you didn’t hear… Dom DeLuca is now on scholarship 🥹🙌 #WeAre | @Dominic_DeLuca9 pic.twitter.com/YKGeKZ2sTy

— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) January 7, 2023

DeLuca joined the Nittany Lions in 2021, walking onto the team from Wyoming Area high school in West Pittston, Pennsylvania. He was a four-year started that helped lead Wyoming Area to their first state championship appearance and victory as a two-way player who also played quarterback, named a three-time captain throughout his high school career.

In his true freshman season, he was voted by the coaching staff as Developmental Squad Defensive Player of the Week three times, and also named Penn State’s Developmental Squad Defensive Player of the Year at the end of the season.

In 2022 he received an increased role, appearing in 12 games for Penn State on defense and special teams and earning the coaching staff’s Special Teams Player of the Week award following two tackles and a blocked punt that lead to an offensive scoring drive against Minnesota in Week 8. He recorded two tackles in the team’s Rose Bowl victory over Utah, and also earned the team’s Outstanding Run-On Award with Tank Smith following the season.

DeLuca’s scholarship moment will surely be one be one he’ll never forget, and it will be exciting to watch how his role continues to increase and how he continues to blossom as a player for the Nittany Lions in the future.

James Franklin describes why this year’s Rose Bowl was so special

Monday’s Rose Bowl between the Pac-12 champions, the Utah Utes, and the Big Ten’s Penn State could be the final Rose Bowl pitting the two conferences against one another. And after securing another victory in the name of the Big Ten, the Nittany Lions capped off their season in a big way. After the game, Penn State head coach James Franklin described why this year’s Rose Bowl was so special, given the change that could be on the horizon.

“Yeah, it’s not only there, but I also understand that it’s the 100-year anniversary of Penn State playing in this in 1923 as well,” said Franklin. “So, just so much tradition and history with this bowl. And then, obviously, (it’s) specific to Penn State.

“And playing Utah. There’s not too many things in 2023 where you can say it’s never happened before; Penn State had never played Utah before. So a lot of really cool things, but most importantly, I’m so proud of these guys and how they handled themselves.”

The Nittany Lions’ first-ever trip to Pasadena did not end the way they would have hoped, losing to USC 14-3. However, this time around, Penn State more than made up for it. Penn State defeated Utah 35-21, in large part thanks to their defense. The Nittany Lions allowed the Utes just 207 yards passing in the game and recorded two interceptions. Along with their defense, Big Ten freshman of the year running back Nick Singleton put on a show, recording seven carries for 120 yards and two touchdowns.

On3’s Justin Rudolph contributed to this report