The Nittany Lions are bringing back a strong leadership core from their 13-win team. Penn State football is not only retaining key players from its 2024 roster but also some of its top leaders. On Wednesday, two more captains confirmed their return for the 2025 season.
Linebacker Dom DeLuca and punter Riley Thompson, both of whom served as special teams captains, announced they will be back in 2025. They will join offensive captains Drew Allar and Nick Dawkins, who is returning for his sixth year with the program. With linebacker Kobe King and safety KJ Winston declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft, Penn State will need new defensive captains.
Thompson, who transferred to Penn State from Florida Atlantic in 2023, could be entering his third year as a punter for the Nittany Lions. However, he needed an NCAA waiver to extend his eligibility for the 2025 season. Originally from Melbourne, Australia, Thompson attended college there before transferring. Though he was listed as a senior in 2023, the NCAA updated his eligibility, granting him a full 2025 season. He earned an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection last year.
DeLuca, a potential three-time captain, has been one of college football’s standout stories in 2024. Joining Penn State as a walk-on in 2021, he rose from special teams contributor to starting linebacker and two-time captain. He notably made two interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown, in Penn State’s first-round College Football Playoff win over SMU. Head coach James Franklin has called DeLuca one of the team’s essential players over the past two seasons.
Franklin praised DeLuca’s work ethic and positive attitude: “He always has a smile on his face, he’s appreciative, he works his tail off, trusted us when we talked about the positions that we wanted to play him, and whatever role we’ve asked him to do, he’s done it 100 miles an hour.” Franklin also spoke about the importance of DeLuca’s journey, saying, “Everybody’s journey’s different… you’ve got to run your race and maximize the opportunities that you get. I think he’s a great example of that.”
DeLuca emphasized the significance of his story to college football, especially as the sport faces changes to roster sizes and scholarship limits in 2025. With the transition from an 85-scholarship limit to a 105-player roster cap, there’s growing concern about how this will affect walk-on players. Both Franklin and DeLuca have voiced their thoughts on this issue during Penn State’s playoff run.
DeLuca expressed his belief that walk-ons are a crucial part of college football, saying, “Walk-ons are the backbone of college football. You wouldn’t be able to have practice squads or even get some looks each week because it’s so hard to have that many guys on the team at once… just being able to do that, it’s a huge honor for us.”
Franklin also acknowledged the importance of walk-ons, noting that many have played significant roles in the history of college football, saying, “There’s been so many special stories over the years of walk-ons… it breaks my heart a little bit that maybe Dom isn’t here if these rules were in place.”
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