Penn State football linebacker Alex Tatsch to miss rest of the season

Penn State football 's injury situation just got a lot worse as sophomore linebacker Alex Tatsch will miss the rest of the season due to injury. The news was first reported on Penn State football play-by-play announcer Steve Jones' radio show.

Tatsch missed the USC game due to an injury that was sustained in practice. The Latrobe, Pa. native appeared in four games this season, recording 11 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble.

Head coach Matt Campbell was high on Tatsch when he arrived in Happy Valley, but now the promising defender's 2026 season is cut short.

The Nittany Lions already had injury problems before losing Tatsch, with redshirt sophomore Max Granville out for the season . Not to mention star wide receiver Koby Howard has yet to return from his injury, although Campbell and the staff are expecting Howard to return this season.

More defensive help may be on the way as well, as defensive end LaVar Arrington II and linebacker Cam Smith are both expected to return before October concludes. Still, losing Tatsch is a significant blow to a team that has several issues and could use all the help it can get before traveling to Ann Arbor and facing Michigan in the Big House.