Dan Connor

Biography

COACHING ACCOMPLISHMENTS A two-time first-team All-American linebacker and the 2007 Chuck Bednarik Award winner, Dan Connor enters his fourth season with the Nittany Lions and his first season officially as the team’s linebackers coach. Connor made the return to his alma mater in 2022 as a defensive analyst, spending the next two seasons working closely with the defensive staff. In 2024, he oversaw the Nittany Lions' linebacking unit, a group who played a significant role in Penn State ranking fourth in the FBS in interceptions, seventh in total defense (294.8), eighth in scoring defense (16.5), 10th in takeaways (26) and 13th in passes defended (72) during the 2024 season. Connor tutored a pair of All-Big Ten linebackers during the 2024 campaign in Kobe King (second team) and Tony Rojas (honorable mention), who was a first-year starter for the Lions. Rojas and fellow teammate Dominic DeLuca finished tied for second in interceptions among Big Ten linebackers in 2024. The duo each had a pick-six in the College Football Playoff win vs. SMU, with Rojas' going for 59 yards and DeLuca's going for 23 yards. With the pick-sixes by Rojas and DeLuca, Penn State was one of only two Power Four programs to have multiple linebackers record a pick-six in a single season. During the 2023 season, where Connor worked closely with the linebacker room, PSU put together one of its top defensive performances in school history, leading the country in sacks (49) and rushing defense (75.5), while fi