Recruit Rewind: Detailing LB Anthony Speca's path to Penn State

Spring break has arrived at Penn State, which means we’re just over a week away from the start of spring practice on March 12. Until we get to that point, we’re looking back at the Nittany Lions’ Class of 2024, profiling all 25 players. Today, we’ll recap Pittsburgh native Anthony Speca’s path to Penn State.

Anthony Speca
Linebacker
6-1, 220
Central Catholic
Bridgeville, Pa.

Rankings	Stars	National	Position	State
On3 Industry	***	498	46	9
On3	***	N/R	65	18
ESPN	***	N/R	13	13
Rivals	****	N/R	19	13
247Sports	***	N/R	43	6

Statistics

• Holds Central Catholic’s career tackles record, totaling 326 
• Totaled 94 tackles, 17 tackles for loss and five sacks as a senior
• Totaled 122 tackles and four sacks as a junior

Notable

• Four-year letterman
• Two-year team captain
• Names to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Fab 22 in 2023

Recruitment

• Committed to Penn State on January 17, 2023
• Recruited by Terry Smith and Manny Diaz
• Picked Penn State over Michigan, Notre Dame and Pitt
• Officially visited on June 9, 2023

Projection: Central Catholic doesn’t allow its players to graduate early, so Speca won’t be enrolling until May. When you add in the fact that both Kobe King and Tyler Elsdon will return for the 2024 season, it makes sense for Speca to redshirt his freshman year.

Central Catholic head coach Ryan Lehmeier: “Anthony has some natural leadership qualities, especially at the position he plays. He’s a strong communicator with a natural leadership personality. He is exceptionally talented and plays sideline-to-sideline. He has great length and athleticism. He made a huge impact on our team as a four-year starter and our all-time leading tackler. He left the place better than he found it and was very influential to our young guys.” 

Get to know Penn State LB Anthony Speca

Penn State has a long history of developing Pennsylvania’s best high school linebackers into future NFL players. Between Jack Ham, LaVar Arrington, Paul Posluszny, Micah Parsons and so many others, the Keystone State has played a major role in Penn State earning the title of ‘Linebacker U.’ 

Bridgeville native Anthony Speca won’t have to live up to those standards to have a successful career in the blue and white, but if his high school career was a preview of what fans should expect, there’s plenty to be excited about.

Not only was Speca a four-year letterman at Central Catholic, which is arguably Pittsburgh’s premier football program over the years, he was also a two-year team captain. Anyone who’s spent time with the 6-foot-2, 220-pound linebacker knows he represents everything a coach could want inside the locker room.

But Speca was just as good on the field, too, breaking Central Catholic’s career tackles total with 326 throughout his career. Remember, this is a school that actively has four players in the NFL and has produced 15 professionals all-time. Not bad.

“He’s a PA kid, and that’s what Penn State has been built on, guys like Speca,” said recruiting assistant Alan Zemaitis back in December. “So we feel really good about the type of guy that we’re going to get and develop. I also wouldn’t be surprised if he were to become a captain here at Penn State at some point.”

Not only did Penn State’s history at the position play a role in earning his commitment, but one of the school’s former stars at the position had a direct impact. In February 2022, head coach James Franklin hired letterman Dan Connor as a defensive analyst. By that point, Speca had already visited three times, but as he got around Connor more and more, the Lions steadily emerged as the favorite.

“I talk to Dan every day. He’s my guy,” Speca told BWI when he made his commitment in January 2023. “The amount of real conversations I’ve had with him has been amazing. I’ve been able to ask him questions about playing in college and all his old Penn State stories. It’s been fun getting to know him. Dan is my guy.”

Of course, many others on Penn State’s staff also had a big impact, including former defensive coordinator Manny Diaz. But Speca also knew there was a good chance that Diaz would end up being a head coach elsewhere before he finished his career. Because of that, the move to Duke never gave Speca a reason to rethink his decision.

“I love Coach Diaz. I really hope he succeeds at Duke, but for me and Penn State, that doesn’t really change much on how I view my commitment or anything like that,” Speca said in December. “I was going to Penn State whether or not Manny Diaz was there. Penn State has had great defenses since it’s been around, and I don’t think that’s going to stop.”

Speca is aiming to enroll at Penn State in just over two months from now. He’ll need time to add weight and could benefit from a redshirt season. With that said, don’t sleep on his athleticism and overall potential. Penn State’s staff learned that firsthand last summer.

“Speca is a relentless guy in the box and sneaky athletic,” Zemaitis said. “We had him in camp and we were taken aback like, ‘Wow, this guy is light on his feet.’ [He had a great] triple broad jump and he ran faster than we thought he would.”