Penn State Finds 'Underappreciated' Football Talent in Canada
Jesse Luketa, the Penn State linebacker from Ottawa, Ontario, doesn't mind being viewed as the program's Canadian ambassador. In fact, he sees value in it.
"There's so much talent in Canada, I feel like it's underappreciated because of the Canadian stereotype that, 'He's from Canada, he's maybe not strong enough, not good enough,'" Luketa said.
Four Penn State players, with more to come, are out to dispel that notion. Luketa, safety Jonathan Sutherland, tight end Theo Johnson and receiver Malick Meiga are on the Lions' 2020 roster, and quarterback Christian Veilleux is scheduled to join them in the 2021 recruiting class.
Luketa, Sutherland and perhaps Johnson will be important factors for Penn State this season, which could lead coach James Franklin and his staff to explore Canada for more "underappreciated" football talent.
Luketa and Sutherland followed a path into American football similar to many Canadian players. They discovered the game in Canada, found it suited their skills but sought more competitive playing envrioments. So they pursued the game in the U.S: Luketa played at Mercyhurst Prep in Pennsylvania, Sutherland at Episcopal High in Virginia.
Leaving home to pursue football wasn't easy, but Luketa and Sutherland both found success and have become vital players for Penn State. Luketa, once competing for the starting spot at middle linebacker, is returning outside to replace former starter Micah Parsons. Sutherland will play in Penn State's safety rotation while also being a lead candidate to wear the new jersey No. 0 bestowed on the team's top special-teams player.
Johnson, meanwhile, could factor into the offense this season as a true freshman. The 6-6 tight end enrolled early and, though he didn't get spring reps, benefitted from a developmental and assimilation standpoint.
Further, as Penn State tight ends coach Tyler Bowen said, "he's got all the physical tools to be an elite tight end at this level."
As his staff has cast a wider geographic recruiting plan, coach James Franklin called Canada a target-rich environment. Last year Franklin even joked that Canada was becoming the "northern tip of Pennsylvania from a recruiting perspective."
"We must do a great job in the state of Pennsylvania. That will always be priority No. 1," Franklin said. "And then, obviously, it goes to the region, which we're going to have to do a really good job. Then we're going other places, whether that is Canada, whether that is Germany, whether that is Nevada, whether that is Florida.
"I think you guys have seen how our recruiting has changed probably from the previous regime to us and really from maybe the first couple years that we got here to more recently."
Luketa has a terrific Canadian story. He grew up in Ottawa and trained at a gym frequented by NHL stars. Though he doesn't skate, Luketa learned plenty in particular from the Philadelphia Flyers' Claude Giroux, who has become a sort of training mentor.
"He's a dude that does not get tired, so training with him, I always had to mind my Ps and Qs," Luketa said of Giroux. "I love working with him. He's someone I always keep in my corner and stay in contact with."
Like Luketa, Sutherland said that Canada has plenty of '"unrecognized talent" waiting to be recruited. And he thinks Penn State should tap into it.
"No doubt, I feel like the more Canadians we bring in, the more inspiration and hope and motivation we give to a bunch of the Canadian talent back at home," Sutherland said.
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