Penn State offensive line looking to gel in 2021

Penn State has holes to fill along the offensive line heading into the 2021 season. Second-year offensive line coach Phil Trautwein looks to make sure his position group can help the Nittany Lions build on the momentum gained at the end of last season.

Trautwein spoke to media on how his own playing experience has helped him as a coach

“That’s how I became a coach and probably why I’m here,” Trautwein said via Centre Daily Times’ Kyle Andrews. “I can express to them things that I’ve been through or things they haven’t been — if they’re going through it or haven’t been through it, I’ve probably been through it. So, being able to relate to them, being able to show them I’ve had that problem with my technique and this is how I fixed it, or I can see stuff that maybe they don’t see or they don’t feel.”

After starting the season 0-5, Penn State turned it around, finishing the year on a 4-0 run. The Nittany Lions lose interior linemen Michael Menet, C.J. Thorpe and Will Fries, but have experienced players ready to step into the starting role.

At offensive tackle, the projected starters are redshirt junior Rasheed Walker and redshirt sophomore Caeden Wallace.

Walker has made 22 career starts at left tackle while Wallace has appeared in 13 games, starting seven.

Wallace projects to be a high draft pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and looks to get back to the form he showed in 2019 after an inconsistent 2020 season.

Consistency is key

“My main goal this season — all around — is just to be consistent,” Walker said via Andrews. “It’s just play after play, game after game, that’s my biggest thing that I want and what I’ve been working on this offseason. I have to be consistent in my workouts, my routines — from how I wake up and go about my day. That’s a big part of my game.”

On the interior of the Penn State offensive line, the projected starters are Eric Wilson, Mike Miranda and Juice Scruggs.

Wilson is a senior graduate transfer from Harvard who transfers in with 22 career games of experience. He missed all of the 2020 season with COVID-19. He will look to contribute all along the interior of the offensive line.

“I like to think I’m pretty versatile, it’s something that I pride myself on,” Wilson said via Andrews. “I really try to fit into any offense that I can, but I love Coach Yurcich’s offense, what I’ve learned about I’ve learned about it so far and the different styles of runs. I really think it’s a good fit for any offensive lineman that’s willing to work themselves.”

Also along the interior is the fourth-year Scruggs. Scruggs played in seven of Penn State’s nine games during the 2020 campaign.

The final member of the Penn State offensive line is redshirt senior Mike Miranda. Miranda has 18 starts to his name over the last three seasons. In 2020, he earned second-team All-Big Ten laurels from the coaches and media