Slim Windsor set for big season, but he won’t drink to that

Just a few years ago, Robert Windsor felt heavy and lethargic.

He weighed 315 pounds and had 27 percent body fat. He struggled to crack the starting lineup on Penn State’s defensive line.

Now, down to 287 pounds with 18 percent body fat, Windsor is poised to have a big senior year for the Nittany Lions at defensive tackle.

“I haven’t reached my peak, but I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been, hands down,” Windsor said. “I’ve never felt so good. I’ve never been so lean. I’ve never been so fast. It’s the result of nurturing my body.”

To help that process, Windsor took an important step for the good of his career and his life. He all but stopped drinking alcohol, which, he implied, hindered his development. Since then, he’s noticed a stark difference in his mind and his body.

“It’s not just the weight, but the way I felt mentally and physically,” he said. “I just felt better. I felt good. Why would I want to drink?”

The 6-4 Windsor, one of five returning starters on defense, enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2018, making 11 tackles for loss and garnering 7 1⁄2 sacks, more than any interior lineman in the Big Ten. Yet he received nothing more than All-Big Ten honorable mention.

He’s one of the conference’s most underrated players going into this season.

“I think he was overlooked by many people,” defensive line coach Sean Spencer said. “I love his motor. His ‘want-to’ is unbelievable. He examines himself all the time. I’ll get text messages from Rob the day after a game before I’m even done watching the film.

“He wants to know what I thought of 10 or 15 plays and how he could get better. He’s constantly studying to make himself better.”

Windsor was very active last season in his first time as a starter. He made six tackles, 2 1⁄2 tackles for loss and 1 1⁄2 sacks against Illinois and then six tackles and two sacks against Wisconsin, a performance that he relished because he’s a Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin native.

Windsor had a penchant for getting out of his lane to follow the football, which opened holes for opponents in their running game.

“His best football is ahead of him,” Spencer said. “He’s only been a starter for one year. He had a really good year, but Rob has to refine his game and continuously be gap accountable.”

That’s especially true against the run. Even though Penn State had 47 sacks and led the nation with 3.62 per game last year, opponents rushed for 169.0 yards a game, the most the Lions have allowed since 2003. Five teams ran for at least 200 yards against them.

“It’s a discipline thing,” Windsor said. “It’s about staying in your gap and being mindful of your assignment.”

Spencer has compared Windsor’s performance so far to that of former Penn State defensive tackle Austin Johnson, a secondround draft pick in 2016 in his fourth season with the Tennessee Titans.

“Rob has very similar stats to Austin’s last year (2015) here,” Spencer said. “I don’t think Rob is where Austin was at that point in time, but he’s comparable from a statistical standpoint.

“It was good for the entire team and the entire unit that he decided to come back. He could have entered the draft and gotten picked late. He can help us be successful week in and week out. I’m excited to see what he can do.”

Windsor hopes he and the rest of the defense will maintain their stamina this season after allowing Ohio State and Michigan State to rally in the fourth quarter last year. That’s a small part of why he’s cut back severely on his alcohol consumption.

“I was a little boy when I got here,” Windsor said. “Coach Spence helped me grow into a man as far as decision-making goes. When I was a freshman, I was like, ‘I’ll drink now and I’ll feel great.’ Instead of instant gratification, now I’m more about delayed gratification. If I don’t drink now, my body over time will feel great.”

After missing the Citrus Bowl because of a violation of team rules that he said was not related to alcohol, Windsor said the song that best describes his time at Penn State is, “A Country Boy Can Survive,” by Hank Williams Jr.

“I’ve been through a lot,” he said, “and I just keep fighting through it.”