Since the James Franklin arrived in Happy Valley, one of the biggest criticisms he’s received was the play of the offensive line. Even during the 42-win stretch from 2016-2019, the offensive line was never viewed as a consistently sound unit like Penn State fans — rightly or wrongly — wanted.
Penn State made somewhat of an aggressive move after the 2019 season, deciding not to re-sign offensive line coach Matt Limegrover and instead bringing in the young, 33-year-old Phil Trautwein from Boston College. The early on-the-field returns for Trautwein were, uh, not great. The Nittany Lions struggled mightily protecting the passer in both of Trautwein’s first two seasons, finishing second-last in the Big Ten in sacks allowed in 2020 and dead last in 2021.