Penn State tackle Caedan Wallace finding mental and physical flexibility this offseason

After two seasons of offensive frustration, no player is safe from the critical eye of fans and media. As one of the key cogs for the Penn State offensive line last season, redshirt junior lineman Caedan Wallace was no stranger to criticism. The 6-5, 319-pound lineman took full-time responsibility for the right tackle position for the Nittany Lions last year. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a banner year in his first full-time role.

According to PFF, Wallace graded below average (60.0) as both a run-blocker (49.2) and as a pass protector (56.4). Wallace is entering his second season in offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich’s scheme. So how has Wallace been working to improve his game this offseason? He spoke at Penn State’s Lift For Life event on the final day of June to give some insight into that question.

Wallace wants to play faster

Whether it was technique, scheme, or doubt, Wallace wasn’t playing fast last fall. The fourth-year lineman is intelligent and gives thoughtful, insightful answers to questions. But that high-level thought process was slowing his game down.

“I would say that at least for me throughout the spring, I kind have to dumb the game down a bit. I was overthinking a lot, and playing with a more simple mindset makes me play a lot faster.”

Part of dumbing the game down is putting certain things on auto-pilot. Knowing the offense is a massive part of that, and in year two of Yurchich’s scheme, he sees the benefits of consistency.

“I appreciate it a lot because we get practice notes, and I skim over it, and I’m like, “I know all this. I did it last year.”

One of the most significant changes hasn’t been from a mental standpoint but a physical one. Wallace is still a powerful physical presence, but he looks slightly leaner this year and more agile. He was noticeably quicker in space during the Blue-White Game.

Physical changes apparent for Penn State right tackle

He credits new strength and conditioning coordinator Chuck Losey for bringing a different approach to his offseason training.

“Honestly, the work that Losey has been giving us, it’s been really beneficial. It’s been really hands-on. I feel like I’ve progressed more than I have in a different way than I have in past summers just because of the different types of work we’re doing. Personally, I’ve been focusing on being more flexible, perfecting my steps, and the program we’ve been in through the summer has been really helpful for that.”

Flexibility was a critical issue for Wallace last season. It’s one of the reasons there was serious doubt about his ability to play tackle and speculation that guard might suit his skills better. But flexibility is one of those tricky traits that never gets better for some players. Can you gain mobility and play with better bend if you’re inflexible? That’s an excellent trial for Wallace this offseason.

“I’ve been working on more ankle mobility. Really ankle, knee, and hips, making sure everything in line can be flexible and move as one. So I do a lot of flexibility stuff, open legs, and stretching my calves because it’s all connected. I feel like if you really lock in on it and do it once or twice a day, you can really improve.”

Have we seen enough to predict success?

The early returns from the spring seem positive, though Penn State didn’t have any pass rushers to challenge their tackles during the spring. Top rusher Adisa Isaac wasn’t cleared for full contact and Chop Robinson didn’t enroll until the summer. Finding out where Wallace is along that path of improvement during training camp will go a long way towards predicting success or failure for the Penn State offense.

But Wallace’s self-awareness is critical for improvement. and his diligent work to improve his weaknesses is a positive force. Many players can leave a season discontent with their performance but blame their failures on other factors or only work on things they’re already good at. Wallace doesn’t seem like that player,

“I’m the type of person where I don’t like letting people get one over on me. When I work out and I focus, and I think of my footwork, my plays and getting to the second level, I think of what’s happened over the past two years,” he said.

You can always find hope in July, before the long campaign of attrition in the fall. But with Wallace, there should be genuine hope that he’s improved to playing at an acceptable level next season. He identified his biggest weaknesses and was given a different path to improvement by Losey. So far, there’s not enough information to determine if he’ll find overwhelming success this fall, but a step up towards positive impact is more than reasonable. Put Wallace’s progression on the list of things we’re most eager to see this fall.