Penn State guard Landon Tengwall talks improvements, guard battle, and more
Penn State football guard Landon Tengwall was already a large human when he signed with the Lions in December of 2020. However, a year can make even the biggest people’s bodies look more chiseled and defined. Tengwall’s does; after arriving at 6-foot-5, 303 pounds, he’s now a towering 6-6, 330.
The Annapolis, Md., native is an admitted workout warrior. So, the fact that he bulked up, especially as an offensive lineman, should not come as any surprise. But, as Tengwall prepares to fight for a starting job during his second season as a Nittany Lion, his stature appears perfect for holding up against rugged Big Ten foes and big non-conference opponents like Auburn alike.
Mass is not the only way the former four-star recruit has grown, however, between the day he first stepped foot on campus and Wednesday’s media availability for Class of 2021 signees.
“I think mentally, my football IQ, things of that nature,” Tengwall said. “Obviously, coming to college just strengthened those things so much. I just learned so much more just being here playing college ball. So, that was big for me. I think I’ve definitely grown up mentally. And then, as far as obviously football IQ, things like that, I’ve definitely grown up a lot.”
That’s good news for Penn State as it prepares to retool position coach Phil Trautwein’s unit ahead of the 2022 season.
Making the move to guard
If the best ability is availability, then versatility is a close runner-up.
Tengwall showed he has it by playing tackle at times last year before suiting up at guard for Penn State in the Outback Bowl. He’s now slated to play inside moving forward, and that’s not a problem whatsoever.
“I really just want to play my role,” Tengwall said. “Wherever Coach Traut, Coach Franklin, Coach Yurcich, whatever they see fit, I’m just going to do my best [and] ball out. The goal’s a Big Ten championship. Whatever I can do to help us get there, I’m down.”
Cross-training is a hallmark of offensive line preparation at the college level. Tengwall has not played center but would try if his Penn State coaches asked. However, so far the directives have been to learn tackle and guard.
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With the latter clearly being the focus now, the lineman said he’s seen some clear gains after spring practice in his abilities to play along the interior.
“I think I’ve gotten a lot of good reps at guard,” Tengwall said. “Rutgers and Michigan State, I played tackle, and then I transitioned into the bowl game to guard. I think that was really smooth for me. We had about a month off, and we got practice and all that stuff. I was taking mainly guard reps at that time.
“I think that was very helpful for me. And then, all off-season I was assuming I was going to play guard, so I worked on that a lot. All those reps are really important for me and definitely helped me improve at the guard position.”
Sizing up the Penn State guard battle
Three players are fighting for the right to replace Eric Wilson, who graduated, and Juice Scruggs, who moved to center.
Tengwall is taking on Cornell transfer Hunter Nourzad and returner Sal Wormley, who missed all of last season due to injury. Only two of them can be on the field when Penn State opens its 2022 slate at Purdue on Sept. 1. It means that this battle will be one of the best that takes place during fall camp.
