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In their words: Offensive line

Between Penn State's Pro Day Tuesday and Wednesday's media availability last week, early impressions out of spring practice have been plentiful.

Wednesday, we looked at Penn State's quarterbacks. Thursday, we tackled the running back position. Friday, we moved on to the receivers. So today, let's take a look at the offensive line and some of the players making an impact this spring.

Rasheed Walker joins Michal Menet, Will Fries, and Mike Miranda on the sideline at practice Wednesday.
Rasheed Walker joins Michal Menet, Will Fries, and Mike Miranda on the sideline at practice Wednesday. (Nate Bauer/BWI)
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Steven Gonzalez was aware that teammates Connor McGovern and Ryan Bates had decisions to make regarding their NFL futures.

Heck, he had his own to make through the course of the Nittany Lions’ 2018 campaign.

But as the final weeks for making his decision approached, his lean toward leaving reversed toward staying, the veteran guard revealed to reporters following Penn State’s Wednesday spring practice last week. “I talked to close family, I talked to the coaches, I talked to my coaches back from high school,” said Gonzalez. “We sat down, we discussed it, and we just felt like it was the best decision for me to come back, in everything, it just made sense for me to come back.”

The same could not be said for McGovern and Bates.

Announcing it to their offensive line teammates immediately after the Citrus Bowl, the veteran pair said that they were choosing to forgo their final seasons of eligibility at Penn State in favor of chasing their NFL aspirations. Admittedly, the announcement did not necessarily match the expectations Gonzalez had for the pair.

“I could have expected it, maybe. You never really know. I thought they were going to come back,” he said. “Sometimes I thought they were going to leave, sometimes I thought they were going to come back. It was really up in the air, honestly.”

Now, with McGovern and Bates having worked out for the scouts of 30 of 32 NFL franchises last week along with fellow veteran Chasz Wright, Gonzalez is now the senior-most member of Penn State’s offensive line as the Nittany Lions work their way through spring practices.

His assessment of the unit’s progress so far? Taking the personnel losses into consideration, Gonzalez was upbeat but realistic about the development still necessary.

“I think we look good. Obviously, we still need improvements. We have Anthony Whigan joined us and he's obviously a new guy, he needs a lot of work. And we also have young, one-year guys, redshirt freshmen that also need work,” said Gonzalez. “So I think it just takes time gelling with each other, especially after losing Bates and Connor. So we're going to keep needing to gel with Rasheed and C.J. Thorpe and Miranda. So I think it just takes time, but eventually, we'll gel together and we'll be fine.”

Penn State's second team offensive line Wednesday.
Penn State's second team offensive line Wednesday.

McGovern, fresh from his Pro Day performance at Holuba Hall and an opportunity to catch Penn State’s practice the Saturday leading up to it, expressed a similar sentiment.

“Everything looks great,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a great competition at both those spots [left tackle and left guard].”

During the brief open segment of Penn State’s practice last Wednesday, left tackle was manned by rising redshirt freshman Rasheed Walker while the right side was handled by rising redshirt junior Will Fries. Speaking to reporters after practice, Franklin described the sides as the natural positions for the two, but also, that the goal ultimately is to have the flexibility to be able to play on either side.

Further explaining that Walker probably would have played for the full season last year had the NCAA’s new redshirt rule not been instituted, allowing true freshmen to play in four games while preserving their redshirts, Franklin offered an assessment of his continuing maturation. “We've been very pleased with him,” said Franklin. “He's big, he's strong, he's athletic. He needs a thousand reps just to gain the experience. But yeah, so far so good.”

Gonzalez echoed the sentiment, repeatedly describing Walker as a “freak athlete.”

“He has super quick feet. He can keep up with anyone. He has a pretty good punch,” said Gonzalez. "He's just a freak athlete. His feet are just so smooth and he has good flexibility, he has a good hip bend. So he's just a very freak athlete.”

Meanwhile, a brewing competition at right guard between rising redshirt sophomores C.J. Thorpe and Mike Miranda might be the most watched position battle on the offensive line this spring, with Miranda getting the first-team reps and Thorpe at second-team during last week’s partially opened practice.

Handicapping the battle as a tight one, with Thorpe carrying more weight but Miranda having more leverage, McGovern said that continuing improvements for both through the spring and summer offseason will pay off.

Asked for detail on the individual level, Gonzalez offered his own assessment of the pair.

Regarding Thorpe:

“I think he brings that competitive edge. C.J., they rave about his competitive edge, and obviously, you can see it. I think he brings that back to the O-line room,” said Gonzalez. “He's a grinder. That pretty much sums up how he is. He's a grinder, he grinds for everything and he's a helluva guy.”

Regarding Miranda:

“Mike is the same way. Mike is a competitive guy like that. I wouldn't say he's crazy fierce like, C.J., you'll see, he wears his emotions on his sleeve. You can see him going crazy, he'll be yelling,” said Gonzalez. “Mike is a little bit more laid back, but he is very competitive, he's a technician as well and they're both technicians, but Mike is pretty smooth with his feet. So it's going to be a great competition, we just gotta wait and see who wins it out.”

Ultimately, as Gonzalez predicted for Penn State’s budding battle in the running back room, he also said he expects right guard to be a position up for grabs late into Penn State’s preseason preparations.

And, anchored by rising redshirt junior Michal Menet, it’s a group McGovern expects to continue to improve through the offseason.

Said McGovern, “(Menet) is continuing to make strides at center, just being very vocal, making sure everyone’s on the same page, and I think he’s going to continue this year and keep the whole chemistry of the offensive line.”

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