Franklin Media Notebook: Rojas Suffers Long-Term Injury

enn State football head coach James Franklin addressed the media on Wednesday evening ahead of the first road game of the year against UCLA. Most notably, Franklin provided analysis on a freshman linebacker duo and King Mack’s role as the second safety.

1. Tatsch And Smith Could Be ‘Greenlighted’ Following Rojas Injury

The storyline of the week came when it was reported that star linebacker Tony Rojas was ruled out with a long-term injury on Wednesday, per Blue-White Illustrated. Franklin confirmed this during his media availability. To help fill the depth in the linebacker room, Franklin said that he and the coaches will “have discussions about greenlighting” freshman linebackers Alex Tatsch and Cam Smith. Tatsch has had 25 snaps this season while Smith has had none. Veteran Dom DeLuca will primarily fill Rojas’ void, Franklin noted. Franklin also emphasized the importance of scrimmages every Sunday for the coaches to have “a chance at evaluating those guys every week.”