Things are moving fast for Penn State football true freshman linebacker Anthony Speca. Despite enrolling in May, Speca is already looking at significant playing time against Illinois on Saturday.

Speca saw the field for the first time against Kent State a week ago, when he led the Nittany Lions in tackles and was a big part of why Kent State had 67 yards in the second half.

The linebacker ahead of Speca on the depth chart, Dom DeLuca, was injured against the Golden Flashes, and as of Wednesday, James Franklin had no update on DeLuca’s status.

If DeLuca can’t go against the Fighting Illini, Franklin said Speca would get the green light for the game. Franklin has green-lighted other freshmen like Dejuan Lane, Luke Reynolds, and Cooper Cousins for the entire season, and are all expected to burn their redshirts.

“If we’re in that situation, he would get green-lighted for this game,” Franklin said of Speca. “Not necessarily for the season at this point, but he was able to play a little bit last week, and we prepare him this week to be ready to go as well.”

Injuries have started to pile up for the Nittany Lions through just five weeks of the season. Lane and Reynolds have played more due to K.J. Winston and Andrew Rappleyea’s long-term injuries, respectively.

Whether or not Speca plays against Illinois, starting linebacker and team captain Kobe King said the freshman is ready for the moment.

“[Speca’s] becoming much more confident from being out there on the field and actually playing,” King said. “He’s ready.”

Speca was a four-star prospect out of Central Catholic in Pittsburgh — a school Penn State has dominated in recruiting in recent years. Franklin attributed the school’s renown to Speca’s development since arriving on campus.”

“[Speca’s] a smart guy, very smart guy, very productive guy,” Franklin said. “He played at a great high school in terms of Pittsburgh Central Catholic. Those guys have come in here prepared and ready to play.

“I think the academics at that school helps prepare them, even from a football perspective, the type of program they run,” Franklin continued. “He’s just come in here and been very mature.”

The best-case scenario for the Nittany Lions in the upcoming top-20 matchup is DeLuca being healthy. But if Speca does indeed play, Franklin isn’t only impressed with his character, but his physical abilities too.

“He’s got really good athleticism. Tested really well when he showed up on campus,” Franklin said. “Him and Peter [Gonzales]. We were really excited about them and continue to be.”