This is one in a series of stories breaking down each of the players on Penn State football’s 2026 roster.
Alex Tatsch didn’t need a full season to get Penn State’s new head coach’s attention.
Tatsch, a sophomore linebacker from Latrobe, Pennsylvania, enters 2026 as one of the more intriguing young players in Penn State’s linebacker room. He is still early in his college career, but Matt Campbell has already spoken about him in a way coaches rarely do about underclassmen.
During his February signing day press conference, Campbell said Tatsch “has got a chance to be one of the great linebackers of all time here,” adding that he loved his film and what he was about. Campbell even said he would “go to fight with that guy right now, today.”
That is high praise anywhere.
At Penn State, it carries even more weight.
This is still Linebacker U, a place where names such as Jack Ham, LaVar Arrington, Paul Posluszny, Dan Connor, Sean Lee, NaVorro Bowman, and Micah Parsons define the standard. For Campbell to even place Tatsch in that type of long-term conversation shows how highly the new staff views his toughness, instincts and developmental ceiling.
Tatsch appeared in six games during the 2025 season and burned his redshirt while becoming part of the linebacker rotation. His playing time increased late in the year as Penn State dealt with injuries and depth concerns at the position.
According to Pro Football Focus, Tatsch played 108 defensive snaps in 2025, including 48 against the run, nine as a pass rusher and 51 in coverage. He finished with 14 tackles, two missed tackles, eight defensive stops, one quarterback hurry and one pass breakup. His season grade was 57.6 overall, with a 61.2 tackling grade, 64.3 pass-rush grade and 55.6 coverage grade.
His best work came in flashes.
Tatsch posted a 79.7 tackling grade against Villanova, a 73.6 tackling grade against Indiana and an 80.6 tackling grade against Nebraska. He had five tackles against Villanova and five more against Nebraska, showing the ability to find the ball when given extended work.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.There were also freshman moments.
He struggled in coverage at times and allowed eight completions on 10 targets for 124 yards and a touchdown. But for a young linebacker thrown into meaningful Big Ten action, the experience was valuable.
Tatsch’s next step is health.
He suffered an undisclosed injury before the Pinstripe Bowl and missed that game. After the Blue-White Practice in April, Campbell said Tatsch was “a little bit ahead of schedule,” but added that Penn State still expected to be cautious with him into the summer. Campbell said the hope was that Tatsch could be ready early in the season, whether that meant Game 1 or Game 2.
Before Penn State: Tatsch played at Greater Latrobe High School, where he was a four-year letterman and team captain. He was a first-team all-state selection in Class 4A as a junior and a first-team all-conference selection. As a senior, he had 40 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, one interception, two forced fumbles and 67 receiving yards. As a junior, he recorded 111 tackles, nine tackles for loss, four sacks, four interceptions and three forced fumbles.
Where he stands: Tatsch isn’t guaranteed a starting job in a crowded linebacker room that includes Tony Rojas and several transfer additions, but he is clearly part of Penn State’s future plans.
If healthy, he gives PSU a physical, in-state linebacker with early game experience and a head coach who believes his ceiling is enormous.
Now comes the hard part.
Tatsch has to turn the praise into production.
