Tag: Jesse Luketa

LB Jesse Luketa got help from fans to get to stadium after flat tire

Luketa had to get a ride with a family of Cardinals fans to the stadium on Sunday.

Arizona Cardinals linebacker Jesse Luketa played three snaps on defense and 25 on special teams in the team’s 37-14 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. There were doubts about whether he would even make it to the stadium.

As he explained on Monday to reporters, Luketa left the team hotel reasonably early enough to make it to State Farm Stadium well before he needed to for the game.

He got a notification of a tire issue and thought he could get it to a gas station for some air but instead ended up having to pull over. He was 30 minutes away still.

Not knowing what else to do, he saw a family that appeared to be going to the stadium in Cardinals gear.

He flagged them down, told the father he was a player and needed a ride. The guy wasn’t sure but spoke with his wife and agreed to do it.

Luketa made it on time, took pictures with the family and kids and said he took care of their tickets to the Cardinals’ next home game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Head coach Jonathan Gannon said the team also got the family an A-Lot parking pass as well.

This is fantastic story for all involved. The family got to hang out with a Cardinals player and Luketa got help.

He apparently has had tire troubles frequently, saying he has had it happen “four or five times.”

This might have been the one positive thing to come out of the Cardinals’ game on Sunday.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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Penn State in the NFL Week 1 roundup: Old faces in new places

Penn State had 39 players on NFL rosters as the NFL season started. Here’s how some of them played in Week 1.

Penn State may have already played two games this season, but the NFL has just gotten its season started. And there are a number of Penn State players scattered around the league. Penn State had 39 players appearing on Week 1 NFL rosters with 33 on the 53-man rosters around the league, four on practice squads, and two additional players on injured reserve to start the season.

A pair of recent standouts took the Sunday night spotlight as [autotag]Micah Parsons[/autotag] and the Dallas Cowboys visited [autotag]Saquon Barkley[/autotag] and the New York Giants. A few more Penn State players will wrap up the first week of the NFL’s regular season when [autotag]Adrian Amos[/autotag] and the New York Jets face Connor McGovern, Ryan Bates, Daquan Jones and the Buffalo Bills on Monday night.

Here is a look at how some former Penn State football players performed in Week 1 of the NFL regular season.

LB Jesse Luketa does it all against Vikings

Luketa was a captain, played defense, played special teams and even lined up at fullback a few times on offense.

The Arizona Cardinals sat their starters in the preseason finale against the Minnesota Vikings, an 18-17 win. That presented a unique opportunity for second-year linebacker Jesse Luketa.

Luketa did it all on Saturday. He was the Cardinals’ captain for the coin toss. He played on defense. He played on special teams.

What was new was playing fullback on offense.

He lined up on several plays at fullback as a lead blocker. He even caught a pass but it was negated by a penalty.

That sort of usage suggests he will make the final roster.

In a postgame interview with team sideline reporter Dani Sureck, he said the opportunity came up this week and he was more than willing to do it. He played some offense in high school.

Will he do it in the regular season if he makes the team? Perhaps in some specialty situations. What is more likely is one of their tight ends would line up as a fullback.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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Best photos of Penn Staters in the NFL preseason

Check out some of the best photos from the NFL preseason of these former Penn State players.

While the college football season is about to get started, the NFL preseason is nearly in the books for 2023. And it has been a busy one for former Penn State Nittany Lions with a mix of veterans in new locations and rookies getting started has been the theme of the preseason, it seems.

Most teams have played at least two games in the preseason at this point, and Penn State fans have not had to look too far to find some of their former fan favorites around the league.

Here is a look at some of the best photos from the NFL preseason so far of some of the former Penn State players around the league.

5 2022 drafts picks for Cardinals with uncertain future with team

These 5 Cardinals draft picks from last year will have extra to prove with a new coaching staff and front office, in addition to new competition.

The Arizona Cardinals have a new front office and coaching staff. That means they were not the ones who necessarily liked the players the team drafted in 2022.

Some of their draft picks seem destined to bigger roles in 2023 — tight end Trey McBride and linebackers Cameron Thomas and Myjai Sanders. However, the other players have uncertain futures for the coming season.

They are players to watch in training camp and the preseason coming up later this month and next month.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

Every NFL draft pick coached by James Franklin

Zac Stacy, Jordan Matthews, Saquon Barkley, Micah Parsons, and every other NFL draft pick who played for James Franklin.

[autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] got his first head coaching opportunity with Vanderbilt after the 2010 season despite previously being the head coach-in-waiting at Maryland. The Commodores are not necessarily known for producing a tremendous amount of NFL talent, but Vanderbilt managed to send a few players off to the next level by way of the NFL draft under the guidance of Franklin, who has experience as an assistant coach in the NFL.

In the years Franklin was the head coach at Vanderbilt, from 2011 through 2013, Vanderbilt had seven players drafted. And a few more who would go on to be drafted later on out of Vanderbilt were brought into the program initially by Franklin and his staff. The seven players drafted from Vanderbilt from Franklin’s three seasons with the program is the most draft picks from Vanderbilt in a three-year span in school history since 1957-1969 saw 11 players selected by NFL teams, in the days of a draft lasting at least 20 rounds.

Since arriving at Penn State in 2014, Franklin has seen a growing number of his players go on to be drafted by NFL franchises, including an offensive rookie of the year in running back [autotag]Saquon Barkley[/autotag] in 2018 and a defensive rookie of the year in linebacker [autotag]Micah Parsons[/autotag] in 2021.

Here is a look at every player drafted by an NFL team that had James Franklin as a head coach in their last game before being drafted, beginning with Franklin’s time at Vanderbilt.

And once you are done checking out this list, here is a list of every Penn State player drafted in the first round of the NFL draft since Penn State joined the Big Ten.

Penn State names Deion Barnes defensive line coach

Penn State announces its new defensive line coach

As Penn State gathers for the start of spring football practices, the search for a new defensive line coach has officially come to a close. On Monday, Penn State announced [autotag]Deion Barnes[/autotag] will take on the role on the coaching staff.

“We are excited to have Deion represent his alma mater as our defensive line coach,” head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] said in a released statement. “I have really been impressed watching him grow as a coach and leader these last three seasons. Deion’s passion for Penn State and the defensive line room has been a differentiator. It is clear to me that he wears his pride for this University through his work.”

Barnes, a former Penn State defensive lineman from 2012 through 2014, has spent the past three seasons on the Penn State coaching staff as a graduate assistant. During that time, he has helped to develop [autotag]Arnold Ebiketie[/autotag], [autotag]Jesse Luketa[/autotag], [autotag]Odafe Oweh[/autotag], and [autotag]Shaka Toney[/autotag]. All four were drafted by NFL teams, including Oweh as a first-round draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 2021.

“I am thrilled and honored to be the defensive line coach for my alma mater,” Barnes said in a released statement. “I am extremely grateful to Coach Franklin for giving me this opportunity to lead a room of tremendous young men who have worked so hard each and every day. I have a lot of pride and passion for Penn State University, and I am excited to go to work with this coaching staff, this team, my letterman brothers and the best fans in college football.”

Barnes will fill the spot on the coaching staff previously occupied by John Scott Jr., who left the program for an opportunity with the Detroit Lions.

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Penn State opens spring football practices on Tuesday, March 14. The annual Blue-White spring game is scheduled for Saturday, April 15.

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J.J. Watt gives teammate signed jersey after hilarious voice message

He gives Jesse Luketa a signed jersey after he asked for one while high on pain meds.

Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman J.J. Watt announced his retirement from the NFL following the season on Tuesday and spoke to reporters on Wednesday. He revealed a funny story about a message he received from a teammate.

I’ll tell you the best story. This is by far the best hands down without a question. I posted the tweet yesterday and then I just kind of put my phone down because I knew it would be crazy. I took my son to his pediatric appointment. We took him to his doctor’s appointment, and I’m coming home and I’m like, ‘Alright. Let me check my phone.’ Literally, it’s crazy, but I’m scrolling through it and there’s this number that I don’t recognize that FaceTime’s me. I’m like, ‘Alright. I’m not going to answer a FaceTime I don’t know, so I just let it go to voicemail. Then I get a text from that number and it’s a voice memo. I’m like, ‘Who is this number?’ I play the voice memo and it’s— I wish I could play it so bad. I wish so bad. I’m going to ask him. I’m going to ask him if I can later. I don’t want to now. It is incoherent, complete incoherence, and I’m like, What the hell is this?’ I literally thought it was distorted from the phone. 10 seconds later, a picture comes through and it’s (LB) Jesse Luketa our rookie outside linebacker, and he has cotton balls in both of his mouth. He’d just got his wisdom teeth out. He’s high off his ass. He has no clue what he’s doing, and in the message, it says, ‘J.J., I just heard you’re retiring. All I want is a jersey at the end of the season.’ It is incoherent. Beyond incoherent. I listened to it 10 times to understand what he was saying. Then I laugh my ass off. I’m dying laughing, so I FaceTime him and he answers, and he’s still gone. I mean, just completely gone. I’m like, ‘Jesse, what are you doing?’ He’s like, ‘I just want a jersey.’ He can’t speak whatsoever. Then, four hours later I get a text from Jesse, and he goes, ‘I still want that jersey man, but I’m sorry for the call. They had literally just told me when I woke up from the anesthesia that you’re retiring.’ When I tell you I was dying laughing, it was the funniest. 

He got permission to share it and the Cardinals’ team account posted it.

Watt did promise Luketa the jersey.

He also delivered it.

J.J. Watt — great football player, great teammate.

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Former Nittany Lion Jesse Luketa gives J.J. Watt hilarious message

Hearing retired players talk about their time in the NFL is honestly one of the best things about the league and the sport…

Hearing retired players talk about their time in the NFL is honestly one of the best things about the league and the sport. Arizona Cardinals rookie and Penn State[autotag]Jesse Luketa[/autotag] potentially gave J.J. Watt his best memory yet.

J.J. Watt announced on Tuesday that he would be retiring at the end of the 2022 NFL season and ending a hall of fame career. This news was delayed to some people, one being Jesse Luketa, and it resulted in the former Penn State player wanting to get an urgent message to the all-time great.

One problem though, Luketa had just had his wisdom teeth out and he couldn’t get a coherent message to Watt and the result was pure gold.

Watt told the media “I posted the tweet yesterday (Tuesday) and then I kind of just put my phone down, because I knew it would be crazy. I took my son to his pediatric appointment … and I’m coming home and I check my phone … I’m scrolling through it and there’s this number that I don’t recognize that FaceTimes me.”

Watt continued saying “I’m like, ‘I’m not going to answer a FaceTime that I don’t know.’ I let it go to voicemail and then I get a text from that number and it’s a voice memo.”

“I play this voice memo and it’s, I wish I could play it so bad, and it is incoherent. Complete incoherence. I’m like, ‘What the hell is this?’ I literally thought it was distorted from the phone. Ten seconds later, a picture comes through and it’s Jesse Luketa…”

Watt said he didn’t want to share the voice memo without his permission but guess what? Luketa gave him permission, and the result was better than you could imagine.

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Cardinals rookie Jesse Luketa delivers classic message to J.J. Watt

A Cardinals rookie provided an unforgettable moment of sorts for J.J. Watt

Timing is everything.

J.J. Watt tried to escape the social media storm after he announced his retirement the other day.

The Arizona Cardinals great defensive lineman on Thursday related the story of a text and message he received from an unknown number.

The message was incoherent, according to Watt, totally incoherent.

Finally, Watt received a text image.

It was Cardinals rookie Jesse Luketa, who had his wisdom teeth removed. Luketa’s mouth was full of cotton gauze and he was “high off his … ” as Watt said.

Luketa was trying to ask his teammate, a surefire future Hall of Famer, for autographed jersey before Watt’s career ended in a couple of weeks.

Guaranteed that message will never be erased and the Cardinals should celebrate the gift on social media when Watt obliges Luketa.