Penn State pulled in another quality verbal commitment for the Class of 2016 with the addition of New Jersey offensive lineman Will Fries, the 10th commitment for 2016. In doing so, Penn State’s offensive line depth continues to be padded.
The biggest concern from James Franklin’s first season in Happy Valley is being addressed in full force through recruiting. Offensive line support was minimal if not non-existent in 2015, which is why we saw quarterback Christian Hackenberg appear to regress from his impressive freshman debut and the running game never truly get out of the gates. No other position was hampered more by the now abbreviated NCAA sanction phase than the offensive line, something I have discussed on multiple occasions, but the easing back of NCAA penalties has allowed Franklin and his staff, most notably offensive line coach Herb Hand, to start rebuilding the line piece by piece. The efforts are noticeable on the recruiting trails.
Penn State’s Class of 2015 was keyed by the additions of some good skill players, but the additions of talented offensive linemen full of potential is what was the most important part of the class. Four-star Sterling Jenkins at offensive tackle and the addition of JUCO offensive tackle Paris Palmer got involved this spring. Penn State went on to add four-star tackle Ryan Bates and guard Steven Gonzalez. Throw in the graduate transfer of Stanford’s Kevin Reihner and there is good reason to expect Penn State’s offensive line to show at least some signs of improvement this fall. But that is only one step of the rebuilding process in the trenches.
Penn State’s Class of 2016 is already continuing to build a rock solid foundation on the offensive line. Four-star center Connor McGovern hopped on board in March. Alex Gellerstedt followed in mid-May. Most recently the line really bolstered up with the additions of Michael Menet, who has just been upgraded to a five-star prospect by Scout, and the fresh addition of Will Fries for another offensive tackle. For now, the work to improve the offensive line on the recruiting trail may be complete, leaving plenty of time to devote to other positions around the roster as long as the class remains in order. This is never a given, especially eight months out from National Signing Day.
I think I'm going to head to McDonald's for dinner so they can ask me the age old question – 'Would you like _____ with that?'#YesIWould
— Herb Hand (@CoachHand) June 10, 2015
Recruiting depth is key of course, but development of the talent coming in is what is going be the most vital part of any plans Penn State will have on offense moving forward. It goes without saying a team can have all the talent in the world at the so-called skill positions — quarterback, running back, wide receiver — but it means nothing if you do not have a dependable offensive line protecting your passer, giving your receivers time to run their routes and opening up lanes for your running game. This was the biggest problem last season for the Nittany Lions. That is a problem that will not solve itself overnight, even with a coach as good and well respected as Hand is. Fortunately, Hand has a solid track record of developing offensive line talent, so it would appear Penn State is in really good hands in this area. But it takes time to get young players to reach their full potential. The reality is it may be another year or two before Penn State’s offensive line legitimately becomes a strength of the team, at least on offense.
The seeds have been planted. Now it is time to water sufficiently and watch it grow.
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