Ryan Bates doesn't need many words to explain himself.
Determined to continue his physical evolution this summer, the Nittany Lion’s redshirt freshman left guard checked in Saturday at 6-foot-4, 308 pounds. At his heaviest, he’s eclipsed 310.
All of it, he says without an ounce of irony, is in an effort to do one thing in the coming months:
“I'm excited for the fall," he says. "Kick some butt.”
The transformation has truly been a remarkable one for the Archbishop Wood product out of Warminster, Pa., now entering his second year with the Penn State football program. Arriving in State College as a true freshman last summer at 275 pounds, Bates said he’s put on between 35 and 40 pounds, and cites some recent construction in the Lasch Building as part of the reason why.
“A lot of it was in the weight room. Our new nutrition bar helped a lot,” he said. “After every workout, after every lift, went in there, got a protein shake.”
Taking his cues from Angelo Mangiro and Andrew Nelson last season, Bates’ evolution has been about more than simply physical changes. Taken under their wings, Bates said that he was helped along as he learned the progression of playing collegiate football.
Throw in a transition from playing tackle - a spot he’d played his entire career until arriving at Penn State last summer - moving to the interior at guard, and Bates said he was happy with how his true freshman year turned out. While head coach James Franklin intimated at one point during the season that Bates would be a possibility for having his redshirt pulled, that it didn’t proved to be beneficial to his development.
“Personally, I don't think I was ready to play last year,” he said. “I was like 290-295, so I don't think I was physically ready. Being an offensive lineman, being up front, it's physically demanding, you have to be so big and everything. So I'm happy they didn't pull my redshirt because I got that extra couple of months of - like I said, it's physically demanding up front and I needed to build up physically.”
And in the meantime, he added, Bates found his time repping on the Nittany Lion scout team to be a particularly educational experience.
Squaring off on a daily basis against four defensive linemen who are all now preparing for their first seasons in the NFL in Austin Johnson, Anthony Zettel, Carl Nassib and Tarow Barney, Bates saw his play improve as he ultimately finished the season moving up onto Penn State’s two-deep on the offensive line.
“It was a total benefit. It got me better every day,” said Bates. “I gave them a run for their money, you know, once or twice. But it was a great learning experience going against (them).”
Noting that by the time the Nittany Lions faced Georgia in the bowl game, he probably could have played, Bates has no doubt that now he’s prepared to make a contribution this season. Certainly, Penn State head coach James Franklin has indicated a similar confidence. “You have Bates that we feel has a very high ceiling and people are excited about,” said Franklin.
Adding that he’d like to improve all areas of his game, particularly with staying lower in the run game and staying more square to the line of scrimmage in pass protection, Bates is excited for the opportunity that awaits him this fall. And, maybe more important, what he might be able to do to defensive linemen who’ll have to face him.
“I'm confident in my ability to kick some butt,” said Bates.
