Penn State football: Jesse Luketa garners Senior Bowl selection
A third Penn State Nittany Lions football player has earned an invitation to play in the Reese’s Senior Bowl.
Jesse Luketa is the latest Nittany Lion to earn a spot as the Senior Bowl announces its rosters position-by-position. The game is slated to take place on February 5 in Mobile, Alabama.
He’ll play for the ‘National’ team, which is coached by the staff of the New York Jets.
Luketa is listed as a linebacker on the Senior Bowl announcement.
Penn State fans will know, though, that he offers some valuable positional versatility. He played both linebacker and defensive end for the Nittany Lions this season.
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Making the move to the defensive line for the first time in his collegiate career, Luketa’s results were positive in 2021.
Arguably Penn State’s most efficient run-stopper following an injury to PJ Mustipher, Luketa registered 8.5 tackles for loss for the Nittany Lions this season. Pro Football Focus gave him an 82.4 overall defensive grade. That tied Jaquan Brisker for second-best on the team, behind only Arnold Ebiketie.
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Penn State’s staff indicated all season long that they feel the move to defensive end helped Luketa’s NFL future, viewing that spot as the place where he is most likely to make an impact at the next level.
It also helped Penn State plug some gaps. They lost a presumptive starter, Adisa Isaac, for the year before the season even began.
“I’m an aggressive defender being that much closer to the ball,” Luketa said during the year. “Quickly, I diagnose things faster with my eyes and I just let my body take over. That move not only benefited the defense, but myself included. So, you know, I feel this has paid off.”
He joins two fellow Nittany Lions at the Senior Bowl. Ebiketie and Jahan Dotson were both also selected, with more to come.
They’ll play for the ‘National’ team as well, giving this Penn State trio one more game as teammates before they move to the pro ranks.
