Penn State awards coveted No. 0 jersey to special teams standout
The No. 0 jersey has officially been handed out to a special teams standout at Penn State. It’s a recent tradition of Penn State under James Franklin for a player on special teams to wear that jersey number.
For three years it was worn by safety Jonathan Sutherland. After his graduation, some wondered if the tradition would continue and who would wear the jersey.
Linebacker Dominic Deluca will be the one wearing No. 0 for the 2023 season. The redshirt sophomore has played a huge role on special teams throughout his career. He joined the program as a walk-on in 2021 and redshirted after appearing in three games.
In 2022, DeLuca appeared in all 13 games on special teams and defense, racking up 29 total tackles. He earned the coaching staff’s Special Teams Player of the Week after he blocked a punt in the game.
Franklin and Penn State awarded him a scholarship before the Rose Bowl game against Utah this past season after sharing the team’s Outstanding Run-On Award with Tank Smith.
The 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐈0⃣𝐍 continues…#WeAre | @Dominic_Deluca9 pic.twitter.com/SGAmm8s2CO
— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) August 23, 2023
It was previously announced that DeLuca would be one of the six captains for the Nittany Lions this season. He’s joined by wide receiver Malick Meiga as special teams captains.
The Pennsylvania native has worked his way into a backup linebacker role and will be on the field at that position in certain spots going forward. But his main contributions to the team will be leading the special teams unit that Franklin has put a lot of emphasis on.
The No. 0 jersey tradition lives on for another season with DeLuca wearing the honor.
