Decisions to make along O-line
Only 1 full-time starter returns, so positions will not be settled right away
Penn State football brought in a new offensive line coach for the 2020 season in Phil Trautwein, and he’ll have decisions to make on the interior of the line. The Nittany Lions return only one full-time starter, and one of the team’s two returning part-time starters may not have the upside to take over the role permanently.
Let’s take a look at where the position stands heading into the 2020 season.
Miranda is listed at 6-3 and 301 pounds on Penn State’s roster. That’s only 11 pounds heavier than what he was listed at as a recruit in 2017 on his 247Sports profile, when he was already nearly maxed out physically.
Miranda will likely start the season at guard, but if anyone were to lose their starting spot on the offensive line, it would be him. The Nittany Lions have legitimate depth on the interior and higher upside guard behind Miranda. He’ll have to play better than he did last season if he wants to maintain his spot as a starter and hang on to it in his final two seasons on campus.
Menet will line up between Miranda and Thorpe and is a lock to play every game if he’s healthy. He was the Nittany Lions’ most consistent offensive lineman in the 2019 season and has taken over as one of the leaders of the room after last season’s only senior starter, Steven Gonzalez, finished his Penn State career. He used his leadership position to help Trautwein transition to Penn State.
“It was very important for me to establish with him,” Menet said in a teleconference with the media in May. “I’ve been around for a little while and become one of the leaders of the room.
“If I’m not bought in, it would’ve been a little bit harder for him to transition to coaching [us].” this could be the season he establishes himself along the offensive line.
The former junior college offensive tackle moved inside when he got to Penn State but didn’t have the proper strength to contribute early as a Nittany Lion. He was only 290 pounds when he was the No. 2 junior college offensive tackle in the country according to the 247Sports Composite player rankings. Now the 6-4 guard is up to 320 pounds and should be way ahead of where he was at around this time last season.
As long as his added 30 pounds translates into usable play strength, Whigan can compete for one of the starting guard spots, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him take the job from Miranda by the end of the season.