Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1138762
ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT O F F E N S I V E L I N E M E N As Penn State reassembles its offensive front, the coaching staff looks to guard C.J. Thorpe to help set an aggressive tone H e's a thoroughly engaging interview, but if you were to encounter C.J. Thorpe between the white lines rather than over the phone, you might come away with a different impression. When he's on the field, whether it's practice or game day, the redshirt sophomore offensive line- man has a bit of an edge to him. There's no need to take anyone's word for this. Thorpe himself cheerfully fesses up. When he switched from offense to defense early last season, Thorpe said one of the main reasons the defensive linemen were eager to welcome him to their position group was because it meant he wouldn't be trying to get inside their heads anymore. "It was funny, because I'd always been the one who was talking to them, trying to rile them up," Thorpe said. "We had a lot of back-and-forth. A lot of them were happy that I was on their side to be able to talk for them. That's what a lot of the defensive players were saying. They were like, 'We're happy you're finally over here so we don't have to scream back at you.' " Unfortunately for the Nittany Lions' returning defensive linemen, the reprieve was short-lived. Thorpe is back on of- fense this season, where he's competing with Mike Miranda for the right guard position that opened up when Connor McGovern left early to enter the NFL Draft. The 6-foot-3, 330-pound Thorpe took the field with the first-team offense in the Blue-White Game. (Miranda was held out of ac- tion due to an injury.) While the starting spot is still up for grabs, the coaching staff has liked what it's seen so far from Thorpe, a former standout at Pitts- burgh Central Catholic. "We felt like for him and for us, for our long-term future and his long-term future, that was the best place for him," coach James Franklin said. "He's missed a year of technique and fundamentals, but he's got the ability to be really good. He's going to play for us this year, whether he's the starter or not. I could see both him and Miranda and [left guard Steven] Gonzalez playing right now inside." Franklin has talked occasionally about the need for offensive linemen to have a "nasty" disposition on the field. Thorpe checks that box. Last year, the coach said admiringly that Thorpe "plays with an attitude [and] with a chip." "I want that mentality to spread," Franklin added. "Our defense gets frustrated with him sometimes. There's a lot of chippiness because he plays with an edge, and I don't want to lose that." Thorpe said that his intense approach to the game comes from his upbringing. The son of former Penn State running back Chris Thorpe, he has an older sister, Christin, and an older brother, Niko, who played football at Fordham. Being the youngest member of his family had a profound effect on his outlook, he said. "I always felt like I needed to do extra to get no- ticed. I'd have to be stronger, I'd have to finish harder, I'd have to do more," Thorpe explained. "Growing up, I had always had that implanted in me from my dad and coaches, too. My offensive line coach from Central, [John] Vaughn, he was always adamant about finishing people. He really liked that. So those things came together to put that in me, and make that into something that I like to do. I don't feel like I've had a good game unless I've had a couple of pancakes." A year ago, Thorpe was viewed as one of the Nit- tany Lions' most promising young offensive line- men, a former four-star prospect who was living up to his billing at the college level. But the Lions were | GUARD DUTY Thorpe was a special teams mainstay and a second-team of- fensive guard last season before the coaching staff moved him to defense. He's back at his origi- nal position this season. Photo by Steve Manuel 2 0 1 9 S E A S O N P R E V I E W