Penn State signee Tony Rojas is the Virginia football Gatorade Player of the Year
Penn State signee Tony Rojas has received numerous honors following a tremendous senior season at Fairfax, Va., High. The linebacker picked up another one on Friday.
Rojas is Gatorade’s Virginia football player of the year. He is the second Lion to receive a state-based honor from the company in as many years after running back Nicholas Singleton was the Pa., Gatorade football player of the year in 2021. He also went on to win the national honor in that category. Rojas is not a finalist for it, however.
A two-way star for his high school team, Rojas ran for 2,240 yards and 38 touchdowns while also amassing 72.5 tackles, 13 sacks, 19 quarterback hurries, and five forced fumbles, according to a Gatorade press release. He will play defense in college. But, he was recognized for his skills on the other side of the ball as the Washington Post’s All-Mets Offensive Player of the Year in December. And, he’s a two-time winner of the Patriot District Player of the Year award.
Georgia and Penn State were the finalists for the four-star recruit, who is the No. 97 player overall in the Class of 2023 and No. 8 linebacker according to the On3 Consensus rankings.
Many other schools were involved in his recruitment, including Clemson, Maryland, North Carolina, Ole Miss, and Virginia Tech. He picked head coach James Franklin’s program over Kirby Smart’s SEC team on July 14, 2022, and signed with the Lions back in December. He took official visits to both schools in June.
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“I really liked Georgia leading into my official going to Penn State,” Rojas previously told BWI. “At the time, it was probably 60-40 Penn State. After my visit though, I knew it was Penn State. I knew it felt like home before, but after being with the recruits, staying overnight, plus being with the coaches that weekend, my relationship with them just grew so much. It just felt right. I knew if I would’ve gone back down to Georgia, it would’ve had my head going places. So, I just ended it then.”
“In the end, family is everything to me. Penn State showed that on my visits. It wasn’t just once either, but on all my visits. They also texted my parents, my grandparents. They were consistent from the start. It just felt like home.”
Rojas headlines a terrific Penn State linebacker group in the Class of 2023
Penn State inked three linebackers back on the early signing day. All are four stars in the Class of 2023. Rojas is joined by Pittsburgh Brashear standout Ta’Mere Robinson and Richmond, Va., Varina signee Kaveion Keys. Only Rojas and Robinson are early enrollees who start classes in State College next week. But, all are inside the On300.
“I think we signed three elite linebackers,” defensive coordinator Manny Diaz said before the Rose Bowl.
“Very pleased at that group.”
