STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Penn State coaches keep bringing up the same name this spring season: Tyler Elsdon. The North Schuylkill grad is in a position battle at middle linebacker. Wednesday, the Schuylkill County-native gave his own update, from his perspective.
As the Penn State football team puts in the work before next Saturday's Blue-White game, there's a spotlight on the position battle at middle linebacker. Both Head Coach James Franklin and Defensive Coordinator Manny Diaz have praised the play of Elsdon. Now a third-year sophomore, Elsdon says the biggest transition? It's a lot different than playing at North Schuylkill.
"I came from a small high school in PA and I think that was probably the biggest factor in my transition when I got here," Esldon said on Zoom, referring to North Schuylkill. "I didn't see a lot of competition. I played a lot of tough teams, just maybe not the level of competition you'd see here. So my first year, even my second year here, there's a lot of transitional things I had to go through, just like more competition. Faster guys. Bigger guys and just kind of learning how to play."
Like his battle now with Kobe King, but Elsdon says he's making strides.
"The point I'm out now, I feel comfortable," Elsdon said. "I feel like myself again on the football field. It's huge. I feel more confident and it's been a process. Coach has been very awesome throughout the whole process, showing me a lot of love, showing a lot of support and I've just honestly been asking a bunch of questions throughout my time here, especially now. Just really embracing everything as best as I could."
Because being the starting Middle Linebacker at Linebacker U comes with expectations.
"There's a standard," Elsdon explained. "The coaches always say it. The standards the standard. There's no deviation and when I think about it, being from PA to thinking about LBU, being from Pennsylvania, playing at Penn State, there's a weight on your shoulders almost. There's a lot of pressure, but I think at the end of the day, there's guys that came through here and everyone has their own story and the thing about LBU is you can come from anywhere."
Elsdon happens to come from Schuylkill County and his story is just beginning.