Tag: Alex Birchmeier

Penn State player availability report for Rutgers released

Penn State has officially ruled out wide receiver Harrison Wallace III vs. Rutgers.

As expected, Penn State will be in pretty good shape when it comes to its player availability for the regular season home finale on Saturday afternoon. Penn State will only be missing one key player that wasn’t already accounted for this season, and head coach James Franklin already confirmed that news earlier in the week.

Wide receiver [autotag]Harrison Wallace III[/autotag] was officially ruled out of action on Saturday morning according to the Big Ten-mandated player availability report for the Nittany Lions. Wallace was injured in late October against Indiana and has not been on the field since that point in time. It remains unknown at this time, at least publicly, whether he will be able to return to the field next week in the regular season finale against Michigan State in Detroit.

Here is a look at the updated player availability report for Penn State for this afternoon’s game against Rutgers.

OUT

  • Harrison Wallace III
  • [autotag]Tyler Johnson[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Tyler Holzworth[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Feyisayo Oluleye[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Jashaun Green[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Joey Palko[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Liam Powers[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Jim Fitzgerald[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Jason Estrella[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Smith Vilbert[/autotag]

QUESTIONABLE

  • [autotag]Ibrahim Traore[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Alex Birchmeier[/autotag]

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What will Penn State’s offensive line look like following retirement of Landon Tengwall?

Penn State’s offensive line took a hit with Landon Tengwall’s retirement, but it still looks to be a strength in 2023.

One of the biggest strengths Penn State had to look forward to entering the 2023 season was the offensive line. In the 10 years with James Franklin as the head coach, this is expected to be the best offensive line the program has had after years of rebuilding the quality depth for the line through recruiting efforts and continued development. That outlook took a little bit of a hit just days before the start of the regular season with the news of the sudden retirement of Landon Tengwall.

Tengwall announced his retirement from playing football due to a result of an injury he described as one that would prevent him from continuing to play safely. Tengwall was projected by many to be a starter at left guard alongside returning starting left tackle [autotag]Olu Fashanu[/autotag] and center [autotag]Hunter Nourzad[/autotag]. Now, a new opportunity to start is up for grabs.

Who will start at left guard now?

The most likely name to move into a starting role will be [autotag]JB Nelson[/autotag]. Nelson is a redshirt junior and one of the many players to come through the Penn State program as a JUCO transfer from Lackawanna College in Scranton. Penn State has had success with their Lackawanna College transfer additions with players like Jaquan Brisker and Ji’Ayir Brown on the defensive side of the football. Nelson has been praised for his development and was expected to be the first name on the depth chart behind Tengwall. Moving him into a starting role seems like the most natural move for James Franklin and offensive line coach [autotag]Phil Trautwein[/autotag].

Franklin’s comments in his Wednesday post-practice media availability suggested fans should see Nelson getting the starting nod this Saturday as the Nittany Lions host West Virginia in the season opener.

If Nelson is going to be the new starting left guard, the entire offensive line is still looking to be in good shape across the line. Here’s how it may look:

  • LT Olu Fashanu
  • LG JB Nelson
  • C Hunter Nourzad
  • RG [autotag]Sal Wormley[/autotag]
  • RT [autotag]Caedan Wallace[/autotag]

By moving Nelson up to the starting job, Penn State will be slightly more vulnerable with guard depth. [autotag]Vega Ioane[/autotag] is the top backup as a redshirt freshman, but Penn State did just add [autotag]Alex Birchmeier[/autotag] in the Class of 2023. Birchmeier was among the top offensive line recruits in the class and is expected to be a big piece of the future offensive line. Whether he is ready to be a top backup option at the start of the season remains to be seen.

Penn State also added [autotag]Anthony Donkoh[/autotag] in the Class of 2023, and he would be another backup option at guard if needed. With Tengwall retiring and Nelson likely moving into the starting job, Donkoh’s position on the depth chart may have been boosted up faster than Birchmeier as he has been working the left guard position since his arrival (Birchmeier has played on the right side).

Penn State still has what appears to be the best offensive line of Franklin’s career despite losing Tengwall. And the efforts on the recruiting trail in recent years have ensured the Nittany Lions have quality backup options in play, even if a couple are considered raw and untested to start the season.

Penn State opens the 2023 season on Saturday, Sept. 2 with a primetime matchup on NBC against West Virginia.

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2023 Penn State football snapshot profile: No. 63 Alex Birchmeier

What should Penn State fans expect out of freshman offensive lineman Alex Birchmeier in 2023?

Going into the 2023 football season, Nittany Lions Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Penn State roster. Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for James Franklin this season.

Next up is another one of the talented new faces in the program, offensive lineman [autotag]Alex Birchmeier[/autotag]. Birchmeier is finally getting a chance to participate with the program after being a long-time commit to the Nittany Lions and the Class of 2023. After getting started in the spring and looking to backup a couple of experienced veterans, what should fans expect to see from the massive freshman?

Here’s a snapshot look at one of Penn State’s top recruits joining the program this fall.

4-Star OT Garrett Sexton commits to Penn State

Penn State adds another big piece for the offensive line in the Class of 2024 with latest commitment from Garrett Sexton.

It may be NFL draft week but for [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and his staff the work never stops when it comes to building a winner. They skipped the coffee and started their work week by getting a commitment from 4-star Wisconsin offensive tackle recruit [autotag]Garrett Sexton[/autotag].

The 6-foot-7, 245-pound recruit decided to commit to Penn State over Iowa, Minnesota, Oklahoma and Wisconsin. He visited Penn State in March and had recently completed a visit to Oklahoma. Despite that visit and the pressure from his home state Wisconsin Badgers, he decided to head to State College to continue his football career.

Sexton is the 11th player to commit to Penn State as a part of their 2024 recruiting class that currently ranks eighth nationally and third in the Big Ten according to 247 Sports. He joins Donovan Harbour who committed last week as the second player to be in the class from the state of Wisconsin. They could add a third with running back Corey Smith set to announce his decision on Friday as he is currently crystal balled to Penn State.

In the 2024 class at his position, Sexton joins [autotag]Cooper Cousins[/autotag] and [autotag]Caleb Brewer [/autotag]as offensive tackles who will be coming to State College. Penn State may have to thank [autotag]Olu Fashanu [/autotag]for spotlighting the position as the top-ranked NFL prospect at the position heading into the 2024 NFL draft.

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Which Penn State players can be future NFL draft picks?

What current Penn State football players will be future NFL draft picks?

Ever since [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] took over as the head coach at Penn State in 2014 they have seen their players become NFL players more often. We have seen players such as [autotag]Saquon Barkley[/autotag], [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag], and this year [autotag]Joey Porter Jr.[/autotag] all go in the first round or be projected to be drafted that high.

Becoming a first-round player in the NFL is not something that happens very often for players even if they are highly-ranked recruits. Coaching staffs and competition play a major part but also it comes down to the physical development of the player.

Looking ahead as we enter the week of the 2023 NFL draft, Penn State has just one player who is being projected in the first round but what about in the years to come? Some of those players can already be identified or projected to be drafted highly by the NFL.

Penn State expected to land commitment from four-star OL this week

Penn State is projected to be the favorite to land this massive four-star offensive lineman recruit this week.

After making a trip to Penn State over the weekend to check out the Blue-White Game festivities, Wisconsin offensive lineman [autotag]Donovan Harbour[/autotag] announced he will make his commitment known this week. Given the timing of it all, Penn State appears to be in terrific shape to add another massive offensive lineman to its Class of 2024 recruiting haul.

Harbour is a 6′-3″ 310-pound offensive tackle and a consensus four-star recruit in the Class of 2024 with four-star rankings from 247Sports, On3, Rivals, and ESPN. He is a consensus top-three player from Wisconsin with the top ranking in the state from 247Sports and ESPN. Needless to say, adding a four-star offensive tackle like this from Wisconsin, where the Wisconsin Badgers develop offensive linemen with the best of them, would be a major recruiting victory for James Franklin and Penn State.

Wisconsin is going through coaching change with the program with former Cincinnati head coach (and former Ohio State assistant and interim head coach) Luke Fickell injecting new life into the program. Securing Harbour to stay close to home may have been one of the top objectives for the new regime in Madison, but Penn State has emerged as the favorite on the eve of his commitment announcement.

Harbour announced on his Twitter account he will be announcing his commitment on Tuesday, April 18 (his birthday).

There is just one prediction on the 247Sports crystal ball board, but it favors Penn State after a prediction was cast following the Blue-White Game. The prediction comes from Tyler Calvaruso, who covers Penn State recruiting for Lion247 on the 247Sports network of sites. That prediction was made less than 12 hours after Harbour announced he would be sharing his commitment decision, which was posted to his Twitter account just hours after the Blue-White Game.

The On3 recruiting prediction machine has also calculated Penn State to have a 90.9% chance of receiving Harbour’s commitment. The next closest on the board is Wisconsin with a 2.3% chance of a commitment, followed by Ohio State at 2.0%. That percentage is also heavily influenced by the timing of Harbour’s announcement and visit to Penn State’s spring game as well as the only official prediction on the board coming from another Penn State recruiting insider, Ryan Snyder of Blue White Illustrated.

Penn State’s Class of 2024 kicked off with a commitment from four-star offensive lineman [autotag]Cooper Cousins[/autotag] and recently added two-way lineman [autotag]Caleb Brewer[/autotag], a three-star recruit. Both are in-state recruits for Penn State. The possible addition of Harbour would be a nice piece to add to the class, especially following the Class of 2023 class that was highlighted by the additions of [autotag]J’ven Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Alex Birchmeier[/autotag].

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Top five true freshman interior offensive linemen in the Big Ten for 2023

Top five true freshman interior offensive linemen in the Big Ten for 2023 #GoBucks #B1G

It is always fun to look at recruiting rankings. The recruiting landscape receives more coverage every year and is a very important aspect of building a program. Still, it is important to remember these players and prospects are not defined by these rankings.

I was diving into the most recent class and trying to figure out which future Buckeye is going to shine brightest and fastest but noticed that the Big Ten as a whole was pretty interesting recruiting-wise this cycle. We already dove into the quarterback position, running back position, wide receiver position, tight end position, offensive tackles, and now we dive into the interior offensive linemen.

Penn State makes top 10 for four-star OT in 2024

Penn State makes the top 10 cut for this four-star offensive lineman in the Class of 2024.

After making a big push for offensive line talent in the Class of 2023, Penn State and head coach James Franklin are continuing to beef up the line in the Class of 2024. And one target on the radar has the Nittany Lions in his updated top schools list.

[autotag]Andrew Sprague[/autotag], of Kansas City, MO, released his top 10 schools as he continues his recruiting process, and Penn State was among the top schools moving forward. Penn State made the top 10 cut just days after Sprague announced he received a scholarship offer from the program.

Other schools in Sprague’s top 10 included LSU, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon, Stanford, and USC.

Sprague is rated as a four-star recruit by each of the recruiting services. And judging by the recruiting outlooks at this stage, Penn State may be lagging behind some of the leading contenders for Sprague’s commitment. Nebraska is among the favorites under new head coach Matt Rhule.

Penn State already has one four-star offensive line recruit on the board for the Class of 2024 with Cooper Cousins. Cousins was the first commit for Penn State in the Class of 2024. The Penn State Class of 2023 also started with a big offensive lineman recruit with [autotag]Alex Birchmeier[/autotag].

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5 new faces to watch during Penn State spring football practices

Penn State’s spring football practices will begin soon. Here are five newcomers you should get to know.

Penn State coach James Franklin hasn’t always utilized the transfer portal the way most coaches do but that has changed and now we see more impact players coming in for the program.

He has always recruited well for the Nittany Lions and has had a great staff that attracts players to come in. This offseason he was able to attract several significant transfer players to pair with a strong 2023 recruiting class for the team.

Get to know just some of the new faces on campus that could be making plays in the Fall inside Beaver Stadium.

Penn State’s Class of 2023 recognized for offensive line strength

247Sports says Penn State’s offensive line effort paid off in the Class of 2023

Penn State made a concentrated effort to beef things up on the offensive line in the Class of 2023. After locking down commitments from three four-star linemen in the early signing period, the Nittany Lions capped the recruiting class with one more four-star player for the offensive line on the traditional national signing day this week with the addition of Chimdy Onoh. As the recruiting classes around the country settle as it looks like Penn State’s class is now complete barring any potential transfer portal adjustments moving forward, the effort made with the offensive line is being recognized in the recruiting roundup summaries.

247Sports took a look at a number of the recruiting classes that best improved their school’s rosters, with the idea that not every recruiting class needed to attack the same positions in order to improve the roster. For instance, Penn State got the help it needed at some skill positions in the Class of 2022 with players like running backs [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] and [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] and quarterback [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag], so the focus on those positions in 2023 was not nearly as pressing. Instead, Penn State worked on the offensive line that will allow those players to continue to shine in 2023 and beyond.

Penn State’s offensive line was the key area of improvement highlighted by 247Sports, and it is understandable why. With [autotag]Olu Fashanu[/autotag] deciding to return next season, along with [autotag]Hunter Nourzad[/autotag] and [autotag]Caedan Wallace[/autotag], the Nittany Lions have the look of a solid offensive line going into the 2023 season, but the Class of 2023 will help keep things stabilized for big offensive line play after the 2023 season.

Here’s what 247Sports had to say about Penn State’s offensive line focus in the Class of 2023;

Penn State solidified its future along the offensive line with four bluechip signees, including two interior players and two offensive tackles. The Nittany Lions grabbed two of the top six tackles, with Alex Birchmeier (6-5, 285) leading the pack as the nation’s No. 2 player at the position. Fast riser Chimdy Onoh, a four-star tackle, picked Penn State over Michigan State on National Signing Day, providing yet another boost to an impressive class. Onoh’s meteoric rise through the 247Sports rankings in December was somewhat surprising. He went from an Old Dominion commitment in mid-December to garnering multiple Power Five offers in a matter of days as a four-star prospect. Most of the attention he generated was from the Big Ten and SEC. He entered National Signing Day as the nation’s No. 13 offensive tackle prospect.

The 247Sports summary goes on to highlight the idea that the new additions to the offensive line will not feel the pressure of being thrown into the mix right away. The returning linemen for Penn State will allow the Class of 2023 signees to take some time to develop and being fully prepared for their roles on the line, but knowing that any one of them could step in early if needed is a luxury as well.

Penn State signed the top-rated player in Pennsylvania with [autotag]J’ven Williams[/autotag] at offensive tackle, the top-rated player in Virginia with [autotag]Alex Birchmeier[/autotag], and another top 10 player from Virginia with [autotag]Anthony Donkoh[/autotag] in the early signing period. Onoh joined the class this week on the traditional signing day.

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Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion. Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

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