5 Thoughts on Penn State Football’s loaded 2022 recruiting class

5. Offensive line recruiting is getting there, but will need improvement 

Penn State landed just one offensive lineman in the 2021 cycle in Landon Tengwall.

Now, if you’re going to land just one, Tengwall is the one would want, but there are depth concerns that came with that.

Penn State signed three offensive linemen on Wednesday, 4-star Drew Shelton, 4-star JUCO J.B. Nelson and 3-star Maleek McNeil. Shelton has the makings of a future star, while Nelson could see the field as early as next season. McNeil may take a little longer to get to the point of playing, but with a 6-foot-7, 340-pound frame, the sky is the limit for him.

The Nittany Lions did lose an offensive lineman on Wednesday as 3-star Andre Roye flipped to Maryland. While Roye may have been a long-term project, Penn State did need bodies in the offensive line room.

It is likely that offensive line coach Phil Trautwein will pivot to the transfer portal to fill the rest of his needs, in which case if you can get guys that are already ready to play, that’s great. Penn State may need at least two offensive linemen in the portal to help replenish the ranks, considering they only brought in four between the last two cycles.

The 2023 cycle is off to a hot start with 5-star interior lineman Alex Birchmeier committed, but the next cycle looks to be an important one for the offensive line.