Penn State lineman Hunter Nourzad ready to step into starting center role

The Penn State offensive line enters a new season as one of the team’s biggest strengths for perhaps the first time in the James Franklin era. Future expected top-10 pick and junior Olu Fashanu anchors the unit at left tackle. Across the board, the Lions have six linemen who have started multiple games. And, the number swells into the double digits when talking about how many members of position coach Phil Trautwein’s room have seen game action so far.

All of the hype to date is proper. But, it also relies on Nittany Lions young and old, experienced and inexperienced, playing and executing at a high level game in and game out. Some will be playing a new position for the first time, to boot. It’s why it’s not hyperbole to suggest that, maybe as much as anyone else, the successes and failures of this group this fall might start and end with super senior Hunter Nourzad.

The Lions have been fortunate to have strong center play over the last handful of years. Connor McGovern, Michal Menet, Mike Miranda, and Juice Scruggs are just a few of the players who have manned the position successfully during recent seasons. Now, it’s Nourzad’s turn.

Transition time

A former All-Ivy League tackle, the Marietta, Ga., native transferred to Penn State last offseason. He began his first season in blue and white in a rotation at left guard. But, once Landon Tengwall went down with a year-ending injury midway through the 2022 slate, Nourzad held the first-team spot the rest of the way and appeared in a total of 11 contests while starting eight. According to Pro Football Focus, during his first season in the Big Ten, Nourzad allowed only two sacks and eight quarterback hurries while being flagged only once. He mostly played guard (earning 535 snaps on the left side, per PFF) but did get some center work (17 samps), as well. It all set the table for his move to snapper this season. And, it’s been so far, so good, through winter workouts and spring practice.

“Going from right tackle to guard was a change, and guard to center is a change as well,” Nourzad said this spring. “You’re so much closer to the neutral zone that everything is right in front of you. So it’s a change, but it’s honestly more fun.”

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That does not mean it hasn’t come without its share of challenges, though. They are similar to the ones Scruggs used to discuss after making the exact same move during spring practice and preseason camp a year ago. By the end of the year, though, the now second-round pick of the NFL’s Houston Texans in the 2023 NFL Draft was the Lions’ best run blocker and graded out second in the pass blocking department, according to PFF. Nourzad hopes to make a similar progression this season. 

“It’s a hard change, obviously,” Nourzad said. “There’s a lot more. It’s more mentally taxing. But, I enjoy it because there’s a lot of stuff that can happen.

“At center, we try to make all the calls, see all the pressures go out, all that stuff. So, it’s hard. But, I was taking practice center reps [last] fall as well. So, it’s been a smooth transition, I think.”

Penn State needs Nourzad to be right

Penn State needs that to be the case. With former five-star quarterback Drew Allar expected to start and have a pair of tremendous running backs in Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen in the backfield in addition to a talented tight ends group, the Penn State attack is expected to be high-flying and uber-productive in 2023. Question marks at receiver could derail that. And, Nourzad struggling out of the gate could, as well. 

That said, former teammates and current coaches alike have been raving about Nourzad being up for the challenge endlessly. There are many reasons why.

“If you watch him at guard you can realize that he can play center,” Scruggs said. “Just when I watch him in practice, just how quick he is off the ball; I don’t think you guys understand how fast he is. Like in the summer [of 2022], he ran 19 miles per hour, and that’s unheard for an offensive lineman.”

For comparison’s sake, Scruggs’ own fastest speed was 17 miles per hour.

“With just how fast he is and how explosive he is when he makes contact on the second level, he’s going to be a great center for us,” Scruggs continued. 

“Once he gets the communication down and doesn’t have to worry about it, it becomes second nature, sky is the limit.”

Scruggs played a role in the transition, as well.

“It was really helpful having him around towards the end of last year because he also went from guard center, as you all know,” Nourzad said. “So when I was trying to talk about different techniques or what I’m doing on certain plays, footwork, he was there to help me out and give me tips and stuff like that. So, he was really helpful.”

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Like Scruggs, Penn State offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich has high hopes and expectations for Nourzad, as well. 

“We think the world of him,” Yurcich said. “He’s very tough. He’s very physical. But center is a difficult position by nature. You think about it, how hard is it to block a 300-pound nose guard all day playing an odd [front defense], or how hard is it to reach a two technique, a guy that’s lined up on the guard? Now on top of that, besides doing all that, you’ve got to snap a ball between your legs, and oh, don’t forget it’s on [a] two [snap count], right?

“So those are all the things that you think about. Really happy for Hunter and to see his progress.”

Nourzad is happy with the progress he made this spring, too. He now stands 6-foot-3, 312 pounds, which should allow him to handle his new responsibilities with ease. Doing it in practice and on game day are two entirely different things, though. But, if Penn State has learned anything about its new first-team center during his year on campus, it’s that he’s smart, adaptable, and skilled. It’s those traits, plus the speed and so much more, that have many believing he is ready for the big assignment of being the big man in the middle this fall. 

“I think it’s going to be exciting to see how our offensive line develops and how we grow as a unit,” Nourzad said. “At our position, it’s more about how all five of us perform rather than just one of us. So we like to focus on that.”