Penn State football snapshot profile: No. 43 Tyler Elsdon
Going into the 2022 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.
Penn State faces some legitimate questions with the linebacker position heading into the 2022 season after losing two starters to the NFL. One player competing for a starting role in the middle of the group is Tyler Elsdon as he enters his third year with the program.
Here’s a snapshot profile of what could be one of Penn State’s starters on defense in 2022.
Preseason Player Profile
Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Hometown: Frackville, PA
Ht: 6′-2″
Wt: 229 lb
247Sports Composite Ranking
Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports
[3 stars] | [No. 5 overall in Pennsylvania] | [No. 27 inside linebacker in nation]
Class in 2021: Freshman
Career Stats
Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports
Year | G | Solo | Total | Sacks | TFL | FF | FR |
2020 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2021 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Depth Chart Overview
AP Photo/Barry Reeger
Penn State appears to have stiff competition for one starting job at the linebacker position going into the 2022 season. [autotag]Curtis Jacobs[/autotag] is the returning starter in the group and [autotag]Jonathan Sutherland[/autotag] is making a position change from safety to fill another starting role following the NFL departures of [autotag]Brandon Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Ellis Brooks[/autotag].
Elsdon is competing for the starting job with [autotag]Kobe King[/autotag] considered his biggest challenger to the starting job. Both linebackers are taking strides in their development, but Elsdon may have a slight edge in the competition.
How new defensive coordinator Manny Diaz works the linebackers will be one of the many things to watch in the new defense in 2022. King stated Diaz’s defensive ideas are easier to grasp than former defensive coordinator Brent Pry’s, which may be part of the reason King and Elsdon had encouraging spring performances. Whether Diaz goes with just one of the two options or finds ways to get both involved remains to be seen.
