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The Nittany Lions look to be in good shape at tackle, and that's an excellent place at which to have a stockpile of returning talent, espe- cially with their new Mike Yurcich-designed o ense looking to create more explosive plays in the passing game. Walker and Wal- lace combined to make 16 starts last season. Walker in partic- ular appears poised for a big season, his third as the team's starting le& tackle. The 6-foot-6, 320-pound redshirt junior is already being hailed as the kind of lineman who could play his way into the +rst round of next year's NFL Dra&. The interior is a little less certain, but heading into pre- season camp it looks as though Miranda will move from le& guard, where he started all nine games last season, to the middle of the line, where he will succeed Menet at center. If Scruggs steps in at right guard, the only remaining hole in the starting lineup will be at Miranda's former spot. During spring practice, Holmes, Wormley and Whigan battled for the le& guard position, and they were joined in May by Harvard transfer Wilson. The competition for that spot should be +erce come August. Of course, it's also possible that Trautwein isn't +nished experi- menting and does not, in fact, have four-+&hs of his starting unit settled. When he was asked during spring practice about his op- tions, he declined to get into speci+cs. The only commitment he made was that when the Nittany Lions open their season Sept. 4 at Wisconsin, they'll start whichever combo gives them the best chance to leave Madison with a victory. "The best +ve will go out there," Trautwein said. "During that game, I'm going to play the guys who are ready. You might see 10 guys out on that +eld when it's all said and done." –M.H. P H I L ' S T A K E This will be the best o ensive line Penn State has +elded in the eight years that James Franklin has been head football coach. Yes, I know: People have been saying that for the past two or three years. But going into the 2021 season, I believe it has real substance. The Nittany Lions are two-deep across the entire line, and four of the starting +ve positions were +- nalized coming out of spring practice. Penn State has two bookend o ensive tackles in Rasheed Walker and Caedan Wallace, while Juice Scruggs appears set to man the right guard spot, with Mike Miranda sliding from guard to center. Miranda has re+ned his technique and now is more than just a brawler, while I believe Scruggs is a future All-Big Ten per- former. The only starting job that looks to be up for grabs heading into preseason camp is the le& guard spot. That could be the best position battle of preseason practice, with Harvard transfer Eric Wilson going up against Des Holmes, Anthony Whigan and Sal Wormley. Penn State has an abun- dance of potentially dra&-worthy o ensive linemen on its roster. For the Nittany Lions to meet their goals, this unit needs to play up to its potential in 2021. ■ >> DEFENSIVE LEADER Pry has been with James Franklin since their days at Vanderbilt. He's get- ting ready for his sixth season as PSU's defen- sive coordinator. Photo by Mark Selders/Penn State Athletics

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