Meet Penn State football's 2023 season captains

Penn State has officially named six captains for its 2023 team. The Nittany Lions selected two captains each on offense, on defense and for the special teams.

Penn State’s Offensive Captains

The Nittany Lions have turned to star offensive tackle Olu Fashanu and tight end Theo Johnson as their leaders on the offensive side of the ball this season. Fashanu passed up millions in the NFL Draft last year to return for another season in blue and white. He’s already been named the the watch lists for the Outland Trophy, Walter Camp and Lombardi Awards. 

“He’s still developing, he’s still getting better,” head coach James Franklin told reporters of Fashanu last week. “From everything that I know and I’ve talked to, he was being projected as a first rounder. I want to do everything we can to help him become a top 10 pick, which I think he is in terms of not only a player but a franchise guy in terms of how he goes about his business. The guy wants to be great in everything he does.”

Johnson is hoping to fill the void left by second-round pick Brenton Strange and he certainly has the ability. He missed the spring in part due to an off-field altercation, but Franklin has lauded his leadership skills in the past.

“Obviously, having him back as a player? There’s a ton of value in that,” Franklin said. “When you talk about leadership, it’s very obvious to us right now, as a staff and the players, that it’s really important for Theo to have a significant leadership role this year. You can see him trying to take on that role, being more vocal compared to how he’s been in the past. And how his teammates are receiving that information, the impact he’s having on others.”

Penn State’s Defensive Captains

The Nittany Lions will turn to a pair of veterans as their defensive captains for the season. State College native and projected starting safety Keaton Ellis will team with senior defensive end Adisa Isaac to lead the way on Manny Diaz’s explosive defense. Along with Fashanu, Ellis and Isaac represented Penn State at Big Ten Media Days last month.

“My leadership style is just lead by example,” Ellis said earlier this year. “Show everybody, and especially the younger players, what it means to be a part of this team, and what it takes, and your work ethic at practice. I think a step that I took is just speaking up when needed to speak up in some aspects. I’m not the most super outgoing and talkative person and don’t have a huge personality. So, that’s not my forte.

“But if it’s at the end of practice, talking to my safeties, or at the end of practice with the defense, making sure to just give it a few words, whatever needs to be said.”

A Brooklyn native, Isaac overcame an Achilles injury that cost him the 2021 season and led the Nittany Lions in tackles for loss in 2022. 

“I don’t want to get out of character, because I’m not the most vocal guy, but I definitely lead by example,” Isaac said this summer. “I talk when it’s necessary and guys listen. They know I’m not here to attack them at all. They know I’m here to help them in every way possible. So when I talk, my words go a long way.”

Penn State’s Special Teams Captains 

Penn State carried on its strong special teams coverage last season thanks in large part to wide receiver Malick Meiga and linebacker Dom Deluca. The pair have been appointed captains ahead of the 2023 season.

Meiga, a junior from Montreal, made his name as a gunner on punt coverage last season and he’s been a core special teamer for Stacy Collins’ crew. 

“Just keep your head down, keep working,” Meiga said this spring of his style. “You never know when your shot is out there. And you gotta be ready whenever you gotta be on the field. Be ready.”

Deluca went from a walk-on safety to a contributor at both linebacker and on special teams. He earned a scholarship from the Nittany Lions after the Rose Bowl. 

“Dom’s been awesome,” Collins said in December. “If you look at what he’s done, just consistently, I don’t think a lot of people have gotten a chance to see it. He’s been elite running down on our kickoff units. I mean elite. [On] the opening kickoff of Michigan State he splits a double and makes a tackle inside the 20. 

“A workmanlike dude. I get the opportunity to be in the room with him, but I can’t say enough good things about Dom Deluca. He certainly fits into that role with [Tyler Warren] as leaders of the team, and I would add Malick Meiga to that as well. You look at the amount of reps that they’ve played on special teams and the production that he’s played, especially from our coverage unit standpoint. He’s blocked a punt for us this year and it’s been great.”