Penn State is known as”Linebacker U,” and Kaveion Keys is looking to become part of that lineage.
In the 2023 recruiting class, Tony Rojas and Ta’Mere Robinson each committed in July.
Keys had been committed to North Carolina but de-committed a little more than a month before Signing Day.
He ended up committing to Penn State, and he’s the latest subject of All 105, a Nittany Sports Now series profiling each Penn State football player.
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 230 pounds
Hometown: Richmond, Virginia
Before Penn State: Kaveion Keys was a team captain for two seasons at Richmond’s Varina High School, helping the team to a state championship as a junior. That junior season was also successful for Keys from an individual standpoint. He was named first-team all-state. In his senior season the next year, Keys finished with 70 tackles (nine for loss) and 11 sacks. He committed to North Carolina in Aug. 2022, but de-committed in December. Five days before signing day, the four-star recruit announced his commitment to Penn State.
2023: Keys redshirted his first season, only appearing in two games. But he impressed the coaching staff enough to earn Developmental Squad Player of the Year along with Jake Wilson.
He was also named the special teams Developmental Player of the Year, an honored he shared with Jace Tutty.
Where he stands: With Penn State running a 4-2-5, it can be argued that there’s less of an emphasis on the linebacker position. Rojas is projected by many to breakout this season, with Kobe King returning to what’s become a comfortable role at MIKE. Penn State also has veteran leader Dom DeLuca coming back, with Robinson also impressing as a young player.
Keys will likely compete with DeLuca for playing time at the SAM position.
A quote by Keys: “It feels good. With the added weight, I feel faster, stronger. At first I thought it was gonna be too much, but I believed in the strength staff and the coaching staff. … I’m right where I want to be for right now. I’m comfortable at that weight. It builds a good confidence level.” — Keys on his weight, which is up from 200 when he enrolled at Penn State in May 2023 to 230, via Tyler Donahue of Lions247
A quote about Keys: When I was on D-squad, it was my job to make sure the tight ends were ready, like Tyler Warren, Theo Johnson and Brenton Strange. I always made sure it was my job to make them ready for each week. And I told him to have that same mindset. He really took that to heart and he was playing fast. He was making plays for D-squad and he really took it the right way.” — Dom DeLuca on Keys’ development via Lions247
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