Penn State offensive line coach Phil Trautwein has already made a major impact on his position group, despite the limited in-person contact he has had due to the coronavirus pandemic. Despite the new situation, Trautwein finds himself in a spot with a lot of depth and talent.

The offensive line has the ability to become a top group in the Big Ten, with returning starters Will Fries, Michal Menet, Rasheed Walker, and Mike Miranda anchoring it down. On top of that, CJ Thorpe, Des Holmes, and Caedan Wallace are all poised to make significant contributions, even if they’re not in the starting lineup.

As he talked about the talent he has and how he plans to use all of his players, Trautwein discussed how he intends to develop the group’s technique. The first-year coach also wants to develop a new mindset along with it.

“My mindset is in the run game you got to play with your legs,” Trautwein said. “I always ask everyone, can you squat more or can you bench more? Most likely you’re going to say you squat more. So let’s get the offensive linemen to play in their legs so they’re always at maximum power.”

Trautwein went on to discuss how when it comes to blocking, he wants to perfect the two-punch technique compared to the one-punch technique, even if some of the players prefer the latter.

“I am a big two-punch guy. I want to be violent with my hands and I want to get separation,” Trautwein added. “There are a lot of different philosophies about one-hand punches, outside punches, and I’m okay with that, but until we are great with two-hand punches, then we can worry about the other stuff.”

Penn State’s offensive line is a position group that has taken its fair share of heat over the past few seasons in terms of pass protection, but Trautwein and the rest of the Nittany Lions hope that a change in approach may lead to a more successful 2020 campaign.

The first-year offensive line coach explained just how happy he is to have a job in Happy Valley, and is ready to build on this position group for years to come.

“This was a dream for me when I was hoping to play here, but now I have an opportunity to coach here,” Trautwein said. “To coach here, it’s a dream for me. I’m buying a house here, so I’m staying here as long as I can and everything goes as planned.”