Four Penn State Football Captains Will Return in 2025
Penn State football is returning not only multiple key players from its 2024 roster but also some of its best leaders. On Wednesday, two more captains confirmed that they will be back for the Nittany Lions in 2025.
Linebacker Dom DeLuca and punter Riley Thompson, who served as special teams captains, announced that they will return for the 2025 season. DeLuca and Thompson join offensive captains Drew Allar and Nick Dawkins, who is back for his sixth year with the program. Penn State will need new defensive captains, as linebacker Kobe King and safety KJ Winston have declared for the 2025 NFL Draft.
DeLuca and Thompson are unique players on Penn State’s roster. Thompson, who transferred to Penn State from Florida Atlantic in 2023, could be a third-year punter for the Nittany Lions. However, he required a waiver from the NCAA to add the 2025 season to his eligibility. Thompson is originally from Melbourne, Australia, and attended college there. Though Penn State initially listed Thompson as a senior in 2023, the NCAA ultimately updated Thompson’s eligibility clock to his first season at Florida Atlantic, giving him eligibility through the 2025 season. Thompson was honorable mention All-Big Ten last season.
DeLuca, who could be a three-time Penn State captain, was among college football’s great stories in 2024. Having joined Penn State’s roster as a walk-on in 2021, DeLuca went from special teams contributor to starting linebacker to two-year captain. He famously made two interceptions, returning one for a touchdown, in Penn State’s first-round College Football Playoff win over SMU. Penn State coach James Franklin has called DeLuca one of the team’s key players over the past two seasons.
“He always has a smile on his face, he’s appreciative, he works his tail off, trusted us when we talked about the positions that we wanted to play him, and whatever role we’ve asked him to do, he’s done it 100 miles an hour,” Franklin said. “Everybody’s journey’s different, everybody’s race is different. You’ve got to run your race and maximize the opportunities that you get. I think he’s a great example of that.”
DeLuca also recognized the importance of his story to college football. Roster sizes and compositions will change in 2025, as the game replaces the 85-scholarship limit with a 105-player roster limit. Players and coaches across college football have questioned how that will impact the tradition of the walk-on. Both Franklin and DeLuca did so during Penn State’s playoff run.
“Walk-ons are the backbone of college football, I would say. You wouldn’t be able to have practice squads or even get some looks each week because it’s so hard to have that many guys on the team at once,” DeLuca said. “They’re not just here to play football, they’re here to live out their dream and be a part of the culture of Penn State football or whatever respective team they’re on. Just being able to do that, it’s a huge honor for us.”
Added Franklin, “There’s a ton of changes in college football, but this is one of these that I’m struggling with because there’s been so many special stories over the years of walk-ons. Whether they’ve earned a scholarship or not, they’ve been just such a significant part of the game and our history. It breaks my heart a little bit that maybe Dom isn’t here if these rules were in place.”
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