Penn State football’s new-look linebacker group will be an interesting position to follow as spring practice winds down and the summer heats up. The Nittany Lions made three key additions from Iowa State in the transfer portal: Kooper Ebel, Cael Brezina, and Caleb Bacon. They retained Tony Rojas (who is still nursing an injury sustained in September), Cam Smith, and Alex Tatsch.

With a lot of moving parts and a clearer distinction between returning Penn State players and Iowa State’s additions in comparison to other position groups, the coaching staff has to juggle it all. Even Tyson Veidt and Dan Connor represent the even split between former Cyclones and the Nittany Lions who stuck around post-James Franklin. Veidt coached linebackers for eight years at Iowa State before spending the last two seasons as Cincinnati’s defensive coordinator.

While it would be fairly easy to have a split locker room with returners and new faces all mixed into one, Veidt is focused on getting the best out of each and every one of the linebackers through spring practice.

Veidt provided some updates on Penn State’s returning contributors after spring practice on Tuesday. He said Rojas can play all three of the linebacker positions and will be moved around a lot through the season. He also said Smith has gained 25 pounds since Veidt got to Happy Valley in January.

“Physically getting him ready to play the position simply with armor, with body weight, with the things he needs to perform the duty at linebacker,” Veidt said. “So, he really today, without looking at the film, just being out on the field, might have had his best practice today, which is certainly what you’re hoping for each and every guy.”

While it’s still a long way to go until D’Anton Lynn finalizes his defense, the Nittany Lions are already testing out several players with the “green dot,” which is the defensive player who has direct communication with a coach in-game. In 2025, former Penn State linebacker Amare Campbell shared green dot duties with Dom DeLuca, but only one was able to be on the field at a time.

Brezina wore the green dot at times for the Cyclones. He said Iowa State operated more of a signal-based defense, which in turn made them less reliant on in-helmet communications. He said signal-based operations made the team more disciplined and made the linebackers better leaders as a whole.

The coaching staff tested the green dot on inside linebackers through the first few weeks of spring practice and will test out defensive backs in a week. Lynn outlined exactly what makes a player a good green dot candidate.

“Short-term memory. Like, there’s a lot of ebbs and flows in the game, and when that play’s over, you need to be able to put that play to bed,” Lynn said. “You need to be able to get everybody else back even and give everyone else the call.”

Lynn, who has a plethora of NFL coaching experience with stops with the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans, and Baltimore Ravens, said college football’s tempo and more spread-out field provides different challenges than the professional level. In the league, the green dot was simple. They don’t need signature calls and signals. In college, you need to do both.

Lynn has been continuously praised by Matt Campbell and other members of the coaching staff throughout spring practice as an effective communicator and for his attention to detail. Lynn knows how much that contributes to a positive team environment, especially with so much change from top to bottom.

“That’s a high football IQ room, like all the kids in that room are smart. I think when you have a smart linebacker room, it’s going to help the front, it helps the [defensive backs], but they picked everything up fast, whether it was the guys already here at Penn State or the guys who were new,” Lynn said.

Lynn said he, Veidt, and Dan Connor are still evaluating specific players to see who really shines at the defense’s second level. Penn State fans can get their first glimpses of the linebackers at Blue-White Practice on April 25.