College football magazine savant Phil Steele says Penn State’s offensive line is the best in the nation heading into the much-hyped 2025 season. Does it have a chance to be the best O-line in Nittany Lion football history, which dates back to 1887?
With quarterback Drew Allar and the running back combo of Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen — which Steele also labels as No. 1 position group in college football — the Nittany O-Lion certainly has the high-octane talent to make that trio look good. And vice versa.
Still, the competition to be the No. 1 O-line of all-time at Penn State is pretty clearly defined. And tough to beat. Like moving mountains tough.
The 1994 offensive line was the foundation that led the Nittany Lions to a perfect 12-0 record while scoring 47 points and gaining more than 520 yards per game. Both were tops in the nation in 1994 and are still Penn State records. That O-line, led by first-round NFL Draft picks guard Jeff Hartings, tackle Andre Johnson and tight end Kyle Brady, gave up only five sacks. All season.
Of course, it helped that the ’94 team had first-team All-Americans in quarterback Kerry Collins, running back Ki-Jana Carter and wide receiver Bobby Engram.
The 1981 Nittany Lions, who spent time as the No. 1 team in the country and finished No 3 overall, boasted the talented backfield pair of quarterback Todd Blackledge and running back Curt Warner. They, in turn, benefited from a dynamic duo up-front — first-round NFL Draft picks Mike Munchak and Sean Farrell. The guards were, with no doubt in mind (I covered the ’81 team as sports editor of The Collegian), the finest 1-2 O-line pair in PSU history. Farrell was a two-time first-team All-American and Munchak is in the Pro Football of Fame. But the Nittany Lions lost two games that season, so I can’t rank this group over the ’94 O-line.
In 1978, Penn State went 11-0 and was ranked No. 1 in the regular season, behind two-time All-American Keith Dorney, who is in the College Football Hall of Fame. But their failure to get the Nittany Lions into the end zone — repeatedly — against Alabama in a brutal 14-7 loss in the Sugar Bowl relegates them to honorable mention status.
As you peruse the stats of those O-lines below, make special note of Jim Romano, who was a starting guard in 1978 and a starting center in 1981 — a display of versatility and consistency. He was drafted in the second round by the NFL, as was Irv Pankey, a tight end on the 1978 squad who played on the interior line in the pros.
So, those O-lines are the standard by which the 2025 Penn State offensive line will judged: Wins, points, yards, college and — to a lesser degree — NFL success. Center Nick Dawkins is the leader of the 2025 O-line; he is in his sixth season and is a two-time captain.
But, it is guard Vega Ioane who has gained the most preseason accolades among the PSU linemen. Six different media outlets have named him a preseason All-American: The Associated Press, The Sporting News, Walter Camp, The Athletic, CBS and ESPN. He is also on the watch lists for the Lombardi Award, the Outland Trophy and the Polynesian Player of the Year.
THE LINE ON THE O-LINES
2025
Record: TBD
AP Rankings: No. 2 preseason.
Big games: No. 7 Oregon, Sept. 27, Beaver Stadium; at No. 3 Ohio State, Nov. 1, Ohio Stadium; No. 20 Indiana, Nov. 8, Beaver Stadium.
Starters (plus one): G Vega Ioane, r-jr. (6-4, 330); G Cooper Cousins, soph. (6-6, 311); C Nick Dawkins, r-sr.+ (6-4, 295); G/T Anthony Donko (6-5, 326); T Drew Shelton, sr. (6-5, 305); T Nolan Rucci, r-sr. (6-8, 307); TE Khalil Dinkins, r-sr. (6-4, 251).
Starters average: 6-5 height, 303.6 weight; not counting Dinkins: 6-5.3, 312.3.
1994
Record: 12-0
AP Rankings: No. 9 preseason, No. 2 final.
High-water mark: No. 1 for one week.
Big wins: No. 14 USC, No. 5 Michigan, No. 21 Ohio State.
Big loss: In the final polls — 13-0 Nebraska finished No. 1.
Bowl game: W, 38-20 vs. No. 12 Oregon (Rose Bowl).
Per game: 47 pts., 250.9 run, 269.3 pass, 520.2 total, 0.4 sacks.
NFL Draft rounds: 1, 1, 1, 6, 6, ND.
Starters (NFL Draft round/overall): G Jeff Hartings, jr. (1/23); G Marco Rivera, jr. (6/208); C Bucky Greeley, sr. (not drafted); T Andre Johnson, jr. (1/30); T Keith Conlin, jr. (6/208); TE Kyle Brady, sr. (1/9).
Starters average ht./wt.: 6-4.6, 285.4.
College accolades: Hartings was a two-time first-team All-American and a three-time first-team All-Big Ten. Brady was a two-time first-team All-Big Ten. Greeley, Rivera, Conlin and Johnson were all second-team All-Big Ten.
NFL (42 seasons): Rivera (11 seasons) was a first-team All-Pro and played in three Pro Bowls. Hartings (11) played in two Pro Bowls. Brady played 13 seasons, Greeley 4 and Johnson 3.
1981
Record: 10-2
AP Rankings: No. 9 preseason, No. 3 final.
High-water mark: No. 1 for two weeks.
Big wins: at No. 15 Nebraska, at No. 1 Pitt.
Big loss: 17-14 at unranked Miami (Fla.) on Halloween in a hurricane.
Bowl game: W, 26-10 vs. No. 8 USC (Fiesta Bowl).
Per game: 30.9 points, 260 run, 158 pass, 428 total, 1.2 sacks.
NFL Draft round: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 10.
Starters (NFL Draft round/overall): G Mike Munchak, sr. (1/8); G Sean Farrell, sr. (1/17); C Jim Romano, sr. (2/27); T Bill Contz, jr. (5/122); T Pete Speros, jr. (10/263); TE Vyto Kab, sr. (3/78).
Starters average ht./wt.: 6-3.4, 255.3.
College accolades: Farrell was a two-time first-team All-American. Munchak was a second-team All-American.
NFL (41 seasons): Munchak is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame; he played 12 seasons in the NFL and went to the Pro Bowl nine times. Farrell (11 seasons), Romano (6), Contz (6) and Kab (6) all played in the NFL.
1978
Record: 11-1
AP Rankings: No. 3 preseason, No. 4 final.
High-water mark: No. 1 to end the regular season.
Big wins: at No. 6 Ohio State, at No. 5 Maryland, No. 15 Pitt.
Big loss: 4th-and-goal from the 1.
Bowl game: L, 14-7 vs. No. 2 Alabama (Sugar Bowl).
Per game: 27.5 pts., 212 run, 177 pass, 389 total, 1.9 sacks.
NFL Draft rounds: 1, 2, 2, 4, 8, ND.
Starters (NFL Draft round/overall): G Eric Cunningham, sr. (4/96); G Jim Romano, jr. (2/37); C Chuck Correal, sr. (8/196); T Keith Dorney, sr. (1/10); T Jim Brown, soph. (not drafted); TE Irv Pankey, jr. (2/50).
Starters average ht./wt.: 251.7, 6-3.8.
College accolades: Dorney was a two-time first-team All-American and is in the College Football Hall of Fame. Pankey was a second-team All-American as a guard.
NFL (32 seasons): Pankey (12) and Dorney (9) topped this group in games played, followed by Romano (6), Correal (3) and Cunningham (2).
