PSU Class of 2023 signee Tony Rojas has been named the Gatorade Virginia Football Player of the Year for 2022.
Fairfax standout and Penn State recruit Tony Rojas (@Tony_Rojas5) has been named the @Gatorade Virginia Football Player of the Year for 2022-23. Read more about it here.https://t.co/jD2rOagkBW
— Virginia Preps (@VaPrepsRivals) January 6, 2023
Rojas is a four-star linebacker signee from Fairfax.
He committed to Penn State in July and is the class’s third-highest-rated signed according to 247Sports’ composite rankings.
He finished his senior season with video game numbers. Rojas, the 2023 PSU signee, picked up 72.5 tackles, 13 sacks, 19 quarterback hurries and forced five fumbles according to Gatorade’s release. On offense, Rojas rushed for 2,240 yards and 38 touchdowns. Rojas is the second Penn State signee in two years to be honored by Gatorade with state player of the year. In 2021, Nick Singleton won Pennsylvania’s Gatorade Player of the Year and the National Gatorade Player of the Year.
Singleton has since become a dominant college football running back, as the world saw in Penn State’s Rose Bowl win over Utah Jan. 2. It’s not clear if Rojas will have the same instant impact at Penn State on the defensive side of the ball in 2023, but the potential is there. Rojas is one of three linebackers signed to Penn State’s 2023 Class, with fellow four-stars Ta’Mere Robinson and Kaveion Keys being the others. Penn State’s Class of 2022 had an instant difference-maker at linebacker, with Abdul Carter coming on the scene.
The product of LaSalle College High School near Philadelphia, finished the season with the team lead in sacks (6.5), tackles for loss (10.5) and finished second in solo tackles (36.) Carter became one of five finalists for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award. Penn State can only hope for one of its 2023 linebacker signees to make a similar impact.
This announcement coincides with Rojas’s arrival at Penn State. He’s enrolled early, starting today.
We here State College 😁
— Tony “🏎” Rojas ✪ (@Tony_Rojas5) January 6, 2023
