Penn State Football: Top-25 players of the James Franklin Era
By Brad Weiss
Penn State Football: Top-25 players of the James Franklin Era
Ryan Bates. 22. player. 806. . Offensive Lineman. Nittany Lions
For Ryan Bates, once he got his chance to start for the Penn State football program, he never looked back, becoming one of the best offensive linemen that James Franklin has ever had. A freshman All-American as a redshirt frosh, Bates would end up starting 35 games for the Nittany Lions over his career, before declaring early for the NFL Draft.
Bates showed tremendous versatility during his time in Happy Valley, playing all over the line, including left and right tackle, and left guard. An incredibly athletic man for a guy his size, Bates rounded into one of the best offensive linemen in the Big Ten, twice being named a third-team All-Big Ten player.
In fact, had he not been injured during the 2017 season, the Penn State football team could have gone to the College Football Playoff, that is how much he meant to this program. After declaring early, Bates would go undrafted in the 2019 NFL Draft, but he did latch on as an undrafted free agent in Buffalo, and after playing in only eight games as a rookie, he appeared in all 16 games for a team that made the AFC title game this past season.