Who can make an impact for Penn State football on the interior of the offensive line in 2022?

Penn State’s offensive line will have plenty of reps to replace on the interior this season with Mike Miranda, Anthony Whigan and Eric Wilson all moving on from the program. All three saw reps at either guard or center last season and accounted for a large portion of the team’s playing time at the three spots.

An incoming transfer and plenty of other players from last year’s team are in contention to make up for those lost snaps.

Let’s take a look at where the team stands at the interior spots on the offensive line heading into the 2022 season.

Projected starters: Redshirt seniors Hunter Nourzad and Juice Scruggs, redshirt junior Saleem Wormley

Despite having to replace plenty of snaps this season, Penn State’s interior offensive line should see some improvement. Wilson was the most important piece of the trio leaving, but Nourzad and the return of Wormley allows the group to take a step forward this season.

Nourzad is the biggest addition of the group and could have one of the largest impacts. He joins the Nittany Lions from Cornell where he started 20 games at right tackle, earning third team All-America honors from Phil Steele following the 2021 season. Nourzad is a much better fit inside at guard than he was at tackle thanks to his physicality and lack of length. He’s listed at 6-foot-3, 310 pounds and is a mauler in the running game. Defensive linemen in the Ivy League were generally helpless once he got downhill with his hands on them.

He’ll have to learn how to pass protect from the interior, which is easier than making the transition outside, but showed he can be a plus from that standpoint as well.

Scruggs is the lone returning starter on the interior and should be a stabilizing force for the entire offensive line. He’s stepped up as a leader, snapping the ball after practice on occasion during the spring with the young quarterbacks, and has already proven himself on the field. Scruggs excelled at center last season, showing he’s a plus in both the running game and the passing game. He continues to add strength at 6-foot-3, 319 pounds, but has good length to help him with longer defensive tackles.

He’s strong enough not to get overpowered by defensive linemen, but has good enough feet to stay in front of quicker pass rushers that kick inside on passing downs. Not to mention, there’s no reason to believe he’s not handling the mental aspect of calling out protections as the leader on the line.

Wormley is the most mysterious of the group, having only played in three games that were almost entirely on special teams in 2020 with one appearance in 2019. He was slated to start last season, according to head coach James Franklin, but an injury derailed that and kept him off the field for all of 2021. Now healthy, he should be in position to reclaim the job he was set to win last year.

His last games with meaningful playing time were in 2018 when he was in high school. Back then he was a physical mauler in the running game, but needed major work in the pass protection. It seems likely he’s improved on the latter if he was set to start last season.

While all three interior linemen have a shot to win the starting jobs, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see major rotation in the group thanks to the team’s depth.

Key backups: Redshirt sophomore JB Nelson, sophomore Nick Dawkins and redshirt freshman Landon Tengwall

Penn State might have more depth on the interior of the offensive line than it ever has under Franklin. The trio of starters are far from a lock to be the starting group by the end of the season, with three players set to push them every step of the way.

Nelson is entering his first season at Penn State and, while he was ranked as an offensive tackle as a recruit, his best fit is at guard. He’s long and has good feet, but his physical nature best suits him for the inside. The redshirt sophomore joins the program after beginning his career at Lackawanna College. He’s 6-foot-5 and weighs 305 pounds, giving him a size advantage compared to most guards.

However, he’ll need to add strength after beginning his career as a junior college. Penn State’s strength and conditioning program should help him get where he needs to be and allow him to contribute this fall.

Dawkins enters his sophomore season with a good chance to be on the two-deep of the depth chart at center. While Scruggs is locked in as the team’s starter, Dawkins getting reps behind him should cement him in as the backup. Playing center isn’t like the other line spots because of the obvious responsibility — snapping — and the less obvious ones — calling protections and communicating with the quarterback.

The sophomore has as good of athletic genes as you can ask for, with his late father Darryl playing in the NBA for the 14 seasons, his cousin Brian becoming a Philadelphia legend with the Eagles and his cousins Karl-Anthony Towns and Dion Dawkins playing in the NBA and NFL, respectively. The athletic traits are obvious for the Nittany Lion, who should be the type of mobile center that excels in modern football.

Tengwall is slotted in here but could reasonably play inside or outside this season. He’s a good athlete with length and physicality, allowing him to be a swing player for the team. His time at tackle last season only helped show that versatility, while his strength and power at the point of attack should help him on the interior when it comes to dealing with defensive tackles.

If there’s one backup most likely to start by the end of the season, it’s Tengwall. While there’s a chance that’s at tackle, his long term future remains at guard. Having him grow as a young player on the interior will only help him in the long run.

Freshman to watch: Vega Ioane

One of Penn State’s latest commitments in the 2022 class, Ioane is the team’s lone true freshman guard. He’s already impressive physically at 6-foot-4, 320 pounds and doesn’t give defenders much of a chance once he gets them in his grasp. He’ll have to continue adapting his body to the college game, but has the chance to be one of the strongest players on the team in the long run.

The team’s depth on the interior will allow him to redshirt as he makes the transition from the high school game to the college game.

This story was originally published June 30, 2022 at 9:15 AM.

Jon Sauber

Centre Daily Times

(814) 231-6461

Jon Sauber covers Penn State football and men’s basketball for the Centre Daily Times. He earned his B.A. in digital and print journalism from Penn State and his M.A. in sports journalism from IUPUI. His previous stops include jobs at The Indianapolis Star, the NCAA, and Rivals.