Penn State has hired Phil Trautwein to be its next offensive line coach.
The Nittany Lions announced the hiring via a press release Tweeted out on Friday evening.
We are excited to welcome offensive line @CoachTrautFB to the #PennState Football family! 🔵⚪️
— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) January 4, 2020
🔗: https://t.co/k5TWRiP6uV#WeAre pic.twitter.com/MWB36Nt7R7
"Growing up in New Jersey, I was always a fan of Penn State. It was the best academic and athletic university in the country then, and it remains so today," Trautwein said in the release. "My family and I are grateful Coach Franklin has given us the opportunity to join the outstanding staff he's assembled. I could not be more excited to continue building the best offensive line in the country, and to help bring championships to Happy Valley."
Trautwein spent the last two seasons as Boston College’s offensive line coach. In 2019, all five of his starting offensive linemen garnered at least an honorable mention for the all-conference team in the ACC. In 2018, four more of Trautwein’s linemen received that honor, the best of those being Chris Lindstrom, who was an All-American in 2018 and was drafted with the 14th pick in the 2019 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons.
Perhaps a more important metric of success for Trautwein and Penn State was that Boston College allowed just 11 sacks last season, the third fewest in the country. The Nittany Lions, on the other hand, struggled in that department, finishing 98th in the country with 32 sacks allowed.
Even beyond that, the Eagles had the eighth-best rushing offense in the country, averaging 253.2 rushing yards per game.
Trautwein, a 33-year-old from Voorhees, N.J., spent two seasons as the tight ends coach at Davidson before heading to Boston College. In his playing days, Trautwein won two national championships and was twice named an All-SEC left tackle at Florida. He then spent four seasons in the NFL.
The hiring comes just four days after Penn State fired former offensive line coach Matt Limegrover, a Central Catholic alumnus who spent the last four seasons with the Nittany Lions.
"We are thrilled to welcome Phil and his family to Penn State," Penn State coach James Franklin said. "Phil has had success at the highest level as a player, winning two National Championships at Florida and spending four seasons in the NFL. He is a rising star in our profession and has had success in developing tremendous offensive linemen during his time at Boston College with nine players earning All-ACC honors in two seasons. We are excited to bring his knowledge and experiences to Happy Valley."
Mike Persak: mpersak@post-gazette.com and Twitter @MikeDPersak
First Published: January 4, 2020, 1:39 a.m.
