Why these 2 freshman LBs could be the future of Penn State — for different reasons

It’s been impossible not to notice Penn State’s two freshman linebackers this spring.

Micah Parsons, one of the nation’s top-5 high school recruits, has earned praise as an athletic freak with unlimited potential. Jesse Luketa, an ESPN 300 prospect, has the makings of a more athletic Jason Cabinda, with teammates already commenting on his penchant for leadership.

“They’re really good players. They’re athletic and quick,” offensive lineman Will Fries said, “and sometimes the offensive tackles have to climb up to them and, for sure, they’re a challenge. I’m really excited for them and their future.”

That future will start to come into focus Saturday afternoon at the annual Blue-White Game, the first time Penn State fans will get a glimpse of the two linebackers who played their high school football in Pennsylvania.

Luketa hails from Canada but played three years for Mercyhurst Prep in Erie. Parsons was born and raised in Harrisburg, spending his last season-and-a-half with Harrisburg High School.

And both of their former high school coaches — who plan to be in the stands Saturday — say fans who grew up with Linebacker U will soon come to appreciate and embrace both players.

“Jesse’s naturally one of those kids who’s not afraid to be vocal, who’s not afraid to be a coach on the field,” Mercyhurst Prep coach Jeff Root said. “Penn State fans are going to fall in love with him, they really are.”

Said Harrisburg coach Calvin Everett: “Honestly, the sky’s the limit for him. It really is. And I know I’m not the first person to say it: He has all the physical and mental qualities you could ask for.”

Both linebackers could be the future of the program. Parsons is a 6-foot-3, 241-pound defensive end-turned-linebacker who ran a laser-timed 4.66 in high school. He has the potential to start from Day 1 and set his eyes on declaring early for the NFL draft. Luketa isn’t the fastest linebacker on the field, but he’s an instinctual player with a nose for the film room. He may very well redshirt this season, but James Franklin said the Nittany Lions need vocal leaders — and that’s exactly what Luketa will soon bring to the table.

“Jesse looks smack like Jason in pads. But, yeah, you can tell he has that leadership quality,” redshirt senior linebacker Koa Farmer said. “That ‘commander-of-the-defense,’ that vocal competitiveness of him, you can definitely see that’s in his nature.”

When Luketa arrived at Mercyhurst Prep as a sophomore in August 2015, it wasn’t long before the head coach there noticed that leadership. During a game against a local rival, one of Mercyhurst’s senior captains was getting pushed around on the field. Luketa approached him on the sideline and told him, “Listen, I look to you for leadership, and I need you to lead for me. You need to step up.”

“I remember I was looking at one of my coaches, and we just looked at each other and shook our heads,” Root said with a laugh. “We were like, this kid is going to be huge for our program in terms of building leaders.”

“He was invaluable to us,” Root added. “He’ll resonate through my program for years.”

Parsons, on the other hand, has a different signature characteristic — his athleticism. But it’s no less valuable to the Nittany Lions.

His high school coach, Everett, said he’s never before come across an athlete like Parsons — a unique specimen who dominated in football, basketball and wrestling. He was a natural at all three. As a freshman starter for Central Dauphin, he finished with 121 tackles, 27 tackles for loss and 18.5 sacks.

By the time he was a junior, and had transferred to Harrisburg, his every move was tweeted and analyzed. But he still managed to impress, like how he took over at running back for the first time and, against Governor Mifflin in the postseason, dragged at least four players 20 yards into the end zone for a touchdown. Then there was the time against Archbishop Wood, where Parsons sprinted from the opposite end of the field to take down Raheem Blackshear — a speedy back who played for Rutgers last year.

“He’s the total package,” Everett said. “The thing with Micah that a lot of people don’t know or don’t understand — which I didn’t know at first — is that outside of how athletic he is, he is a very, very intelligent football player. I mean, very intelligent. He looks at something one time, and he’s very, very teachable in terms of understanding football. It’s just this innate ability.”

By all accounts, Parsons remains a bit raw at linebacker. But that’s to be expected — since he’s been at the position for just 14 practices. He’s also splitting time between the middle and the weakside.

Parsons has grabbed most of the headlines this spring because of his potential. But Luketa, who played defensive back up until his junior year of high school, is a lot more familiar with linebacker. And that experience has shown.

“Who’s improved the most? Honestly, I’m going to say Jesse Luketa,” linebacker Cam Brown said earlier this week, when asked about the overall defense. “I’m really impressed with what he’s done. He’s learned the position, and he’s trying to get it all. And I feel like he’s obviously picked it up faster than I did my freshman year.”

Both Luketa and Parsons have the potential to leave Penn State with unique legacies. Luketa is already being compared to Cabinda, a beloved team leader who’s hoping to be drafted next week, and Parsons and the NFL are already two inseparable subjects.

Those are high standards already, and there’s a lot more work and film study before either steps foot on the field for a real game. But the Blue-White Game could be a foreshadowing — of a special future for Linebacker U.

This story was originally published April 20, 2018 at 2:42 PM with the headline "Why these 2 freshman LBs could be the future of Penn State — for different reasons."