STATE COLLEGE — It wasn’t many years ago that Penn State’s offensive line was widely regarded as a weak link. The Nittany Lions carried an abysmal rushing attack before the arrival of Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen and constantly looked for answers up front.
These days, those answers are easy to find — and plentiful.
Penn State returns four of five starters from the 2024 season opener, losing only Sal Wormley at right guard. An experienced and talented depth piece like Nolan Rucci remains in the fold. Promising youngster Cooper Cousins, along with a handful of spring camp risers, will vie for playing time in 2025.
But the battle for the starting job at right tackle will be an interesting one to monitor.
Anthony Donkoh began the year as the full-time starter, playing 10 games before sustaining a season-ending injury. He burst into the role quickly, filling in for Caedan Wallace in the Peach Bowl as a freshman before securing the spot last season.
Rucci, the former top Pennsylvania prospect who transferred from Wisconsin, took time to get up to speed and needed to add weight onto his massive 6-8 frame. He fought through some early season struggles to become a strong player in the postseason for the Lions.
Both, however, are out for now in spring camp, which has given way to more playing time for redshirt sophomore J’ven Williams — another former top Pennsylvania prospect. He’s gotten high praise for his work thus far.
So who takes the spot come fall?
“It’s going to be a competition, and they’re going to come out in training camp and work for it. I’m not gonna give it to anybody,” offensive line coach Phil Trautwein said this week. “They know that, so it’s good. But they’re going to compete.”
Williams has the best chance to make some noise this spring because of the extra reps. But he’s at a disadvantage to win the job, with Donkoh and Rucci both having starting experience. He could also factor in at either guard spot.
Having played at Wyomissing High School, which barely ever throws the ball, Williams has needed time to learn proper pass protection, among other developmental needs. But Trautwein was clear that he’ll be in position to compete for the starting job.
“Just reps — seeing it, feeling confident with his punch, feeling confident with his set. Just working every single day,” Trautwein said. “He was behind, so just out-working so that he can get ahead and just keep working on his technique and fundamentals.”
Alongside Williams, second-year tackles Eagan Boyer and Garrett Sexton have caught Trautwein’s eye. Sexton was down with injury much of last year, so Boyer made the travel roster and received praise. But Trautwein added that Sexton is playing his “best ball” right now.
JB Nelson (Mt. Lebanon) was expected to be in the mix after playing guard and tackle in the past, but he is no longer listed on the roster.
Still, nobody has as good a chance to start than the incumbent Donkoh, who received a 68.1 PFF grade overall in 2024. But Rucci actually graded out a bit higher overall at 73.2 and got progressively better as the year went on.
No matter who starts, Penn State anticipates playing 17 games in 2024 and will need a good level of depth to get through it. Eight different players saw at least 100 snaps up front in 2024, so having plenty of starting-caliber players is a good problem for Trautwein and Penn State to have this season.
“What’s great is I can rotate guys, get guys fresh and continue to develop them but also make sure that I keep them healthy,” Trautwein said. “That’s going to be big. Make sure I play them enough and just play them around. That’s why guys will play multiple positions, just keeping the whole line fresh and keeping them healthy throughout the whole entire season, which with depth, you can do that now.”