Where do Penn State’s offensive line battles stand so far in spring camp?

Minutes after Penn State fell to Kentucky in January’s Citrus Bowl, guard Connor McGovern and tackle Ryan Bates — a pair of three-year starters — informed their teammates that they were off to the NFL.

McGovern’s departure was expected; Bates’ was not. Regardless, veteran Steven Gonzalez knew in that moment that 2019 was going to be different.

Gonzalez is still holding down left guard. Michal Menet remains at center, and 20-game starter Will Fries is working at right tackle. Those are the constants. But there’s fluidity at left tackle and right guard. At Wednesday’s practice session — Penn State’s fifth of the spring — redshirt freshman Rasheed Walker ran with the first-team at left tackle, with Mike Miranda edging C.J. Thorpe for starting snaps at McGovern’s old spot.

Of course, it’s early. JUCO signee Anthony Whigan can still challenge Walker at left tackle. Walker might not even stay next to Gonzalez; Fries has said in the past that he prefers the left side, so those two could flip by the time Idaho visits Aug. 31. And Thorpe could overtake Miranda. There’s plenty for James Franklin, assistant coach Matt Limegrover and the line to sort through in the coming weeks and months.

“It takes time to jell together, especially after losing Bates and Connor,” Gonzalez said. “We need to keep jelling with Rasheed, CJ and Miranda. It takes time. But we’ll be fine.”

Franklin offered a positive outlook, complimenting Walker’s progression and potential. Franklin said the tackle — the No. 65 overall prospect in the 2018 recruiting class — was ready to play a larger role if needed last season.

“If the new redshirt rule wasn’t in place, we probably would have burned his shirt. But we felt like we could get away with four games, and it worked out that way,” the coach added. “We’ve been very pleased with him. He’s big, he’s strong, he’s athletic. He needs 1,000 reps just to gain the experience. But so far, so good.”

Meanwhile, Gonzalez called Walker a “freak athlete” with impressive hip bend, quick feet and “a pretty good punch.” And McGovern, when asked about Walker after Tuesday’s Pro Day, said, “You’ll be surprised this year how good he does.”

While Whigan can put up a fight, right guard seems like more of a true competition.

Miranda, who started at right guard once in 2018, and Thorpe, who brings a “nastiness” to the position, both offer upside. Thorpe is 19 pounds heavier, but McGovern said Miranda possesses “a little bit more leverage.” Gonzalez dubbed both “technicians” and believes there isn’t much to separate the linemen.

“That’s probably going to go up until the last week before the game,” Gonzalez said of the position battle. “It’s going to be a heavy competition. Whoever wins the job, wins the job.”

Quick hits

• The Nittany Lions should count themselves lucky that they have to replace only McGovern and Bates. Gonzalez said he was leaning toward leaving for the draft until the final few weeks before the Citrus Bowl. That’s when he sat down with his family, high school coaches, Franklin and Limegrover and decided it’d be best to return. But the 349-pounder said he received a late Day 2/early Day 3 grade from the NFL’s underclassman evaluation.

• As expected, Lamont Wade and Garrett Taylor were the first-team safeties at practice. Wade has a chance to nail down Nick Scott’s old job this spring before JUCO signee Jaquan Brisker arrives. John Petrishen and Jonathan Sutherland ran with the second team.

• Tommy Stevens did not attempt a pass during the team’s full-speed drills open to the media, and defensive end Shane Simmons didn’t practice, standing off to the side wearing sweats.

This story was originally published March 20, 2019 at 10:00 PM.