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Penn State Football 2018 Player Profile: OL Michal Menet

By Collin Wieder

GLENDALE, AZ - DECEMBER 30: Offensive lineman Michal Menet #62 of the Penn State Nittany Lions walks out to the field for the second half of the Playstation Fiesta Bowl against the Washington Huskies at University of Phoenix Stadium on December 30, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. The Nittany Lions defeated the Huskies 35-28. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ - DECEMBER 30: Offensive lineman Michal Menet #62 of the Penn State Nittany Lions walks out to the field for the second half of the Playstation Fiesta Bowl against the Washington Huskies at University of Phoenix Stadium on December 30, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. The Nittany Lions defeated the Huskies 35-28. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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Sophomore Michal Menet looks to stabilize an up-and-down Penn State football offensive line. The Nittany Lions return a surplus of blocking talent.

Offensive line issues have at-times kept Penn State football from becoming a national title team. Still, when it had nice games to build upon like the Rose Bowl. One thing that could change and help the team improve is continuity. Three starters return on the O-Line and three other key contributors are back as well. One of those experienced backups from 2017, Michal Menet, fills in a gap at right guard.

His addition to the starting line shouldn’t mess with the group’s chemistry too much. He does replace a multi-year starter in Brendan Mahon, but with his reps, it should be a somewhat smooth transition. In his redshirt freshman season, he played in 12 games and saw time on special teams and offense. Menet is a strong body, but he’s actually one of the thinner, more athletic guys on the team. He stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 306 pounds.

Menet was highly touted coming out of Exeter Township Senior High School. He was a five-star prospect that received widespread interest. He turned down 27 other schools including Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Ohio State, etcetera to pick the Nittany Lions.

The Township guard ranked in the top-30 overall for recruits nationally and was the No. 1 offensive guard and No.1 recruit in Pennsylvania. His arrival spelled massive improvements to the O-Line. His blazing fast speed for his size made him a road-clearing lineman.

Looking at his film, he definitely earned all five stars. Menet’s motor and speed embarrassed players at the prep level. His first few steps off the line looked more like a receiver’s, exploding out the starting gate to clear linebackers at the second level.

A player of his caliber couldn’t just play on one side of the ball. While he helped the team go 11-1 with his offensive line skills, he also rolled up 74 tackles and 11.5 sacks as a defensive lineman.

Must Read: Penn State Football 2018 Player Profile: OL Connor McGovern

Now that he has experience at the college level, he should make some noise as a starter. VBR already mentioned he was a player to watch this spring, and he’ll be a player to watch in the fall. His athleticism and growth over the last year should help the O-Line improve.

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