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Penn State Football: Who are the Program’s Best Recruiters?

By Alec Whitaker

STATE COLLEGE, PA - NOVEMBER 20: Offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich of the Penn State Nittany Lions looks on before the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Beaver Stadium on November 20, 2021 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA - NOVEMBER 20: Offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich of the Penn State Nittany Lions looks on before the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Beaver Stadium on November 20, 2021 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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Penn State’s new offensive line coach, Phil Trautwein, (image via YorkDailyRecord) /

4. OL Coach Phil Trautwein

Phil Trautwein has had his fair share of critics in his short Penn State career, but he’s starting to silence them.

The main reason the doubters have been quieter is because of his recent work on the recruiting trail.

Trautwein arrived after the 2019 season and helped seal the deal with Landon Tengwall in the 2021 class. While Tengwall was likely a Penn State lock by the time Trautwein arrived in Happy Valley, this was still a nice momentum builder for him.

Trautwein struggled to build relationships due to the pandemic and Penn State’s 2021 offensive line haul ended up consisting of just Tengwall.

Things got better in the 2022 cycle as Trautwein landed 4-star Drew Shelton, JUCO 4-star JB Nelson and 3-stars Vega Ioane and Maleek McNeil.

The 2023 class has been the one that we’ve seen Trautwein really take off as a recruiter. So far, he has landed commitments from 5-star Alex Birchmeier, 4-star Jven Williams and 3-stars Anthony Donkoh and Joshua Miller.

Trautwein was instrumental in the Nittany Lions landing Cornell offensive lineman Hunter Nourzad from the transfer portal as well.

This is a strong start for Trautwein, but he’s not done. The Nittany Lions are in the thick of it for multiple 4-star offensive line recruits and many are expected to visit campus in June.

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