Penn State’s issues have historically been a mixed bag of cause and effect but it’s safe to say that the Nittany Lions have had more issues on the offensive front over the last decade. In 2023 that wasn’t really the case with a unit that boasted a Top 10 pick and plenty of other experienced players in the trenches. This line may not have dominated in the ways that fans would have liked, but it didn’t make Penn State a worse team either. Considering some other seasons, that counts for something.
The Grade: B
The Good: While Penn State’s offensive line may not have ended up being quite as dominant as some may have hoped, this group did a lot of things pretty well. Some of these stats aren’t all about offensive line play but it’s fair to say Penn State finishing 17th in sacks allowed (16), 9th in tackles for a loss allowed (51) and 39th in yards per carry (4.67) were all marks in favor of this line. This group also managed to stay healthy with four of the five spots on the line featuring the same starting player every single game. Left guard was the only area that saw change, but even there it was a revolving door and JB Nelson still managed eight starts when it was all said and done. Olu Fashanu lived up to his billing yet again and will leave Penn State with a very real shot at being a Top 5 pick depending on who you talk to. For a unit that has been a weak point for Penn State for the better part of forever, this group was solid enough to get good marks. It’s probably even better if Landon Tengwall doesn’t have to retire for medical reasons prior to the start of the season.
The Not So Good: Penn State lacked the explosiveness most everyone expected it would have on the ground this season and while that doesn’t come back to just the Nittany Lions’ offensive line, it is part of it. You would have to go back and look on film to figure out exactly which missed opportunities were a product of the running backs versus bad blocking, but good dominant offensive lines open up holes that anyone could run through. In the long run Penn State’s offensive woes didn’t end up being a product of the line – which is a change of pace for once – but this group provided a limited utility in fixing them too. Olu Fashanu was excellent but it’s fair to wonder what it might have been like had someone of Fashanu’s skills been on the interior of this line instead of on the edge. A thought experiment for another day – insert Landon Tengwall here. Penn State didn’t give up a ton of sacks or a ton of TFLs, but it also didn’t manhandled people either.
Overall: It says something about how this group did in 2023 that Phil Trautwein went from being in an obvious hot seat situation to rarely being talked about at all. That said, even if this group was one of the better lines Penn State has had as of late, it also wasn’t a dominant force. You aren’t going to write home about this offensive line negatively, but you won’t write about it glowingly either. We will grade on the side of that being better than not. Especially with a new quarterback in the backfield.
See all of the Positional Grades HERE.
