Penn State has come a long way on the offensive front the past 10 years, going from not having enough scholarships to truly developing depth to having some of the best offensive linemen in the nation. You might not say that the Nittany Lions have had among the best lines overall, but it has certainly gone from a weakness to something that the program can generally rely on. With change coming to the line in 2024, there are some questions that will need to be answered, but fans shouldn’t worry too much about whether or not this group will be serviceable.
Last Year: It was a complicated year for Penn State’s offensive line last season, boasting the likes of Olu Fashanu —one of the best offensive linemen in the nation for two years straight — and also lacking some degree of aggressive tone-setting power in the trenches that could have sparked a more explosive running attack. There’s no real reason to have concluded that Penn State’s offensive line was bad by any stretch of the imagination, and it’s probably unfair to hold it to the status that “if you’re not gaining six yards a carry, it sucks,” but it didn’t really impose its will the same way some may have liked either. Some of that comes down to numbers the defense throws at the offense too, so not all issues are of their own doing. Either way, this group only gave up 16 sacks all year, 17th-best in the nation. Penn State also finished 39th in the nation in terms of yards per carry, so it’s not as though things were awful. All boiled down, it was a fine year compared to many many lukewarm ones.
New Faces, Returners, Losses: Penn State enters the 2024 season looking to replace Fashanu, Caedan Wallace and Hunter Nourzad, three offensive linemen that under any other circumstances may have been the best lineman on Penn State’s roster if not for the other two. Cooper Cousins marks the highlighted freshman addition, while Wisconsin transfer and former PA prospect Nolan Rucci might very well get the starting nod this season. It’s hard to picture a situation where Penn State can fully replace three players as talented as this trio without some growing pains, but there is plenty of experience returning to the fold. J.B. Nelson, Drew Shelton, Nick Dawkins, Vega Ioane, Anthony Donkoh and Sal Wormley all figure to use their varying degrees of experience to Penn State’s advantage this year. Seeing is believing with this bunch, but there is reason to tentatively believe.
The Storyline: It’s safe to say that Penn State fans have come to learn over the past decade that you can win and lose big games in the trenches. Losing a trio of talented linemen in the offseason won’t make winning in the trenches any easier than before, but the Nittany Lions have gotten to a place where they’re much more capable of reloading on the offensive front than they were at the start of James Franklin’s tenure. A lot of newer faces in the rotation and in bigger roles always leaves the door open to uncertainty, but offensive line coach Phil Trautwein has done a good job going from hot seat tenant to one of the more secure coaches on the current staff.
Overall: With a big season ahead, there is reason to feel some degree of uncertainty about Penn State’s offensive front but also plenty of reason to feel confident that it will be able to plug-and-play some newer names in those holes. Penn State will have a bit of time before the truly big games hit the schedule and the Nittany Lions will hope things have solidified by the time that happens.
