2023 Penn State football snapshot profile: No. 43 Tyler Elsdon
Going into the 2023 football season, Nittany Lions Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Penn State roster. Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for James Franklin this season.
Next up is a player who started every game for Penn State in 2022 but looks to be competing to keep the starting job in 2023, linebacker Tyler Elsdon. Elsdon may end up continuing to be a starter for the Nittany Lions in the middle of the defense thanks to his experience already on the field in such a role, but he will have to hold off a rising contender for the job this fall. here is a snapshot look at Tyler Elsdon heading into the 2023 season.
Preseason Player Profile
Hometown: Frackville, PA
Height: 6-2
Weight: 226
247Sports Composite Ranking
[3 stars] [No. 5 in Pennsylvania] [No. 27 overall inside linebacker]
Class of 2020
Class in 2023: Junior
Right from the start of his recruiting process, Penn State appeared to be the school to beat for Elsdon’s commitment. Penn State hosted Elsdon for an unofficial visit back in April 2019, after he had received offers from a pair of ACC programs in Syracuse and Louisville. Virginia was next in line to extend an offer but Penn State remained the easy frontrunner. Elsdon attended a pair of football camps at Penn State in the summer of 2019, and after that, he finally received his official offer from the Nittany Lions.
Just three days after receiving his Penn State offer in June 2019, Elsdon committed and was locked into Penn State for the long haul with multiple official and unofficial visits still to come before officially signing his letter of intent in the early signing period for the Class of 2020 in December 2019. Elsdon enrolled early in January 2020 to get started with the program as early as he could.
Career Stats
Games | Tackles | TFL | FF | INT | ||
2020 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2021 | 12 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2022 | 13 | 44 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Tyler Elsdon appeared in just one game during the COVID-19-adjusted 2020 season, but he got on the field for 12 games during the 2021 season on defense and special teams. He closed out his first full season with the team with six tackles in Penn State’s Outback Bowl appearance against Arkansas.
Elsdon rose to a more prominent role in 2022 by making starts in all 13 games played by Penn State, including the Rose Bowl against Utah. Elsdon had a career-high 44 tackles, with 25 solo tackles. Despite starting every game for Penn State in 2022, his job as a starter is not a guarantee heading into the 2023 season.
Depth Chart Overview
Penn State will return Abdul Carter and Curtis Jacobs as starters on the outside of the linebacker positions this fall, leaving the middle linebacker job still to be determined. Tyler Elsdon is one of the top two candidates for the job this fall. Elsdon appears to have a slight edge over Kobe King for the starting job in the middle of the defense. Elsdon’s experience is what gives him the biggest advantage over King, although both appear to be on a pretty even playing field coming out of the spring and the Blue-White Game.
The competition is in the spotlight between Elsdon and King, but expect both to have moments to contribute this fall no matter which of the two ends up as the starter.
