Penn State Football Brings On Phil Trautwein As Offensive Line Coach

Mikey Mandarino | Onward State

Penn State football head coach James Franklin announced that he’s hired Phil Trautwein to replace Matt Limegrover as his team’s offensive line coach.

Trautwein hails from Voorhees, New Jersey and spent the last two seasons as the offensive line coach at Boston College.

“Growing up in New Jersey, I was always a fan of Penn State. It was the best academic and athletic university in the country then, and it remains so today,” Trautwein said in a release. “My family and I are grateful that Coach Franklin has given us the opportunity to join the outstanding staff he’s assembled. I could not be more excited to continue building the best offensive line in the country and to help bring championships to Happy Valley.”

The newest member of Penn State’s coaching staff guided Boston College lineman John Phillips to first team All-ACC honors last season, and three other players — Zion Johnson, Ben Petrula, and Alex Lindstrom — to second, second, and third team All-ACC honors, respectively. Eventual first-round NFL Draft pick Chris Lindstrom became an All-American during the 2018 season — Trautwein’s first in charge of the Eagles’ offensive line.

In 2019, Boston College’s offensive line was the best in the FBS in terms of blitz-down sack rates, according to ESPN’s Bill Connelly. The unit also helped Boston College record the third-best power-down success rate, which ranks teams based on how successful they are on third or fourth down with two or fewer yards to gain for a new set of downs.

Before taking over Boston College’s offensive line, Trautwein was the tight ends coach at Davidson College, which competes at the FCS level. His first coaching role was a three-year term as a grad assistant at Boston College.

Trautwein was brought on to replace Matt Limegrover, whose contract wasn’t renewed after four seasons as the team’s offensive line coach. The position was a major weak point of the team before Limegrover took over the job, but the Nittany Lions’ front five did enjoy some improvement during his tenure.

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About the Author

Mikey Mandarino

In the most upsetting turn of events, Mikey graduated from Penn State with a digital & print journalism degree in the spring of 2020. He covered Penn State football and served as an editor for Onward State from 2018 until his graduation. Mikey is from Bedminster, New Jersey, so naturally, he spends lots of time yelling about all the best things his home state has to offer. Mikey also loves to play golf, but he sucks at it because golf is really hard. If you, for some reason, feel compelled to see what Mikey has to say on the internet, follow him on Twitter @Mikey_Mandarino. You can also get in touch with Mikey via his big-boy email address: michael.p.mandarino@gmail.com