Manny Diaz impressed with early-enrollee Tony Rojas: ‘As good as anybody in the country’

Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz was impressed with early-enrollee Tony Rojas. The freshman linebacker packed on the pounds of muscle and impressed in his early days.

Rojas went from 195 pounds to 230 while getting a head start in training with Penn State. The potential Nittany Lions star might crack the lineup and get some playing time this fall.

It’s rare to do at a tough position like linebacker but got plenty of spring practice reps.

“He did (and was) able to play a lot in the spring, which is what you want when you got guys (that) come in mid year,” Diaz said. “The weight thing never bothered us. We knew he would put on weight, but he had the body type to do it.

“In high school he ran, ran, ran, ran, ran all the time, played basketball in high school and, you know, played both sides of the ball and just moving and moving and moving and you know, and that’s why when you’re recruiting, you’re looking at body frames because you get an idea of what they can become.”

Perhaps Rojas exceeded expectations already. Diaz was impressed with how well Rojas adapted to the college game as he stepped foot onto campus.

“With Tony, yeah, I mean, I don’t know if we knew it would happen in three months’ time, but we knew that he would be exactly the size we wanted,” Diaz said. “We’re proud of the way he played in the spring game. I think he’s picked up the defense pretty well.

“He’s a bright kid. And he loves to play again. I mean, I thought on his high school tape, I thought he was as good as anybody in the country and we’re very blessed to have him here.”

That’s how BlueWhite Illustrated’s Thomas Frank Carr saw the transition for Rojas.

“The story of Rojas’ fit has changed dramatically over the last six months,” he wrote. “Rojas was a raw prospect without the size necessary to play in the Big Ten. It was an open question whether the early-enrollee could make it work.  Rojas answered those questions emphatically. 

“His weight transformation over the last several months is well documented, but it’s important to reiterate that he went from a project to a player in unbelievably short order. Now he’s in line to potentially see the field in 2023. As a bonus, Robinson transitioned better than most thought as well.”

As a member of the Class of 2023, Rojas was a four-star recruit out of Fairfax (Va.) High, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 2 overall prospect in the state, the No. 8 linebacker in the class and the No. 92 overall prospect in the class.