Buchholz determined to help develop Lions' DL this spring

Ryan Buchholz has been here before.

Arriving at Penn State in the summer of 2015, the defensive end prospect soaked up the knowledge and experience of fourth-year starters Carl Nassib, Anthony Zettel, Austin Johnson and Garrett Sickels. A group that helped the Nittany Lions produce 46 sacks and 106 tackles for loss that season, Buchholz looked to the team’s veterans as he spent the season taking a redshirt.

Now, he’s the veteran.

“It’s definitely different,” said Buchholz this week. “Two years ago, or three years ago, I was listening to Carl Nassib, Sickels and Schwan and all them and taking in all their information. But now I gotta do that to the other guys like Yetur, Shane and Daniel Joseph and all them. So it’s kind of just switching roles.”

Having learned the ropes from that similar circumstance, Buchholz is determined to be of value to his younger teammates this season, regardless of how naturally leadership qualities suit his personality.

Acknowledging his proclivity for keeping his opinions and criticisms to himself, Buchholz said that he’s learned to step up this spring and offer instruction when necessary.

“On the football field, if I see something that someone does, it's just something in me to help them and give them my point of view on it,” said Buchholz. “(That way) when we're doing one on ones and I see something that Yetur could have done better, I can go right over to him and tell him and give him my advice because I just think that's how it should be.”

The mindset is helping to pay dividends for Penn State this spring.

Saying that the staff feels good about its defensive ends, head coach James Franklin described Wednesday a group that has experience and athleticism returning this fall in the form of Buchholz, Shane Simmons and Gross-Matos, each of whom played extensively last season.

“We feel good about that group. There are a lot of guys who played a lot of football of us, a lot of athleticism,” said Franklin, noting that formerly “undersized” ends are now bigger and stronger. “So I think we’re in a really good place. We’re pretty confident about where we’re at at defensive end. It needs to be a strength of our defense, while our D-tackles grow and mature inside.”

Evaluating that growth and maturation on the defensive line’s interior, Buchholz pointed to projected backups Antonio Shelton and Fred Hansard as having taken the next steps in their progression.

And though Franklin noted his preference would be to have seniors and juniors manning the two- and three-deep at the tackle spots, he expressed his confidence that the strength of the defensive ends can help alleviate the vulnerabilities that might arise through the inexperience behind projected starters Kevin Givens and Robert Windsor.

Having dropped between 20 and 25 pounds himself this offseason, down from his highest weight of 280 pounds last season to around 255 this spring, Buchholz said he’ll primarily be at end this upcoming season.

Preferring that move, rather than his moonlighting as a three-technique DT on obvious passing downs at various points over the past two seasons, Buchholz is working to be his best on the line’s perimeter.

“I’m pretty much just focused on my speed and my technique. I’ve lost a good bit of weight, so I’m just trying to get back all my speed because I’m pretty much going to stay at D-end mostly this year,” said Buchholz. “So I’m just working on the little things. I’ve experienced a lot, so when I see stuff happen and I help out those young guys, it helps me out too.”