Penn State Football Begins to Bolster Offensive Line with Joshua Miller Commitment

James Franklin and Penn State Football added a big piece to the Nittany Lions’ offensive line, and bolstered the 2023 recruiting class with Joshua Miller’s commitment 

Penn State Football wasted no time moving on to the 2023 recruiting cycle, as 3-star offensive lineman Joshua Miller announced his commitment to the Nittany Lions on Monday morning.

Rated as the No. 28 interior offensive lineman in the 247 Sports composite, Miller is listed at 6-foot-5 and 320 pounds. His offer sheet includes Clemson, Florida State, Kentucky and North Carolina. Miller joins fellow Virginians 5-star OL Alex Birchmeier and 4-star TE/OT Mathias Barnwell in Penn State’s 2023 class.

This is arguably the most critical offensive line recruiting class of James Franklin’s tenure at Penn State Football.

The Nittany Lions netted just four offensive line signees between the 2021 and 2022 recruiting classes. While the transfer portal will temporarily fix the depth issues, Penn State needs to rebuild the ranks for the long term.

Considering the talent Penn State Football brought in at quarterback and running back in the 2022 class, having an elite offensive line to protect Drew Allar and open holes for Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen is necessary.

Birchmeier and Miller give offensive line coach Phil Trautwein two legitimate interior options now, so the focus may turn to the tackle position. It’s still unclear if Barnwell will outgrow the tight end position and be forced to move to offensive tackle. Regardless, landing Pennsylvania 4-star OT Jven Williams should be the next goal for Trautwein. Overall, the Nittany Lions will likely need somewhere between four to six offensive linemen in the 2023 class.

On the heels of signing the No. 6 recruiting class in 2022, Penn State currently has the No. 3 recruiting class in the 2023 cycle with five commits. This cycle is just as important to Penn State’s future as the 2022 class was, as the program has a serious window of opportunity from 2023-2025 with the talent they’ve started to accumulate.