Nitwit OL looking for answers

[The Ancient Enemy]

Let me ask you a serious question.

If you are consistently recruiting 4-star OL each and every season, who fit the bill as Centers, Guards, and Tackles respectively, at what point do you start to question the development and position coaches if the kids are consistently underdeveloped and ill-prepared?

I literally cannot even estimate for you how many years in a row PSU has been "rebuilding" their offensive line. Every year, we hear how the OL is searching for answers. This is not a bad batch of kids who all came into the program in the same recruiting season and we just recruited kids w/ poor upside. This has been a very consistent pattern for years upon years now, where the kids are never ready to step in, and never get any better between their freshman and senior campaigns.

I hear all this talk about "I cant believe Wisniewski has dropped so far in the draft." Really? You cant believe it? Has Stephan Wisniewski gotten ANY better since he stepped on campus? That kid is not very good. He's average at best, at this stage, compared to other kids at his position.

This is not a recruiting issue. The evidence to support that is in the fact that the kids PSU has recruited to play the OL have a nice offers list. The problem is that when they get up there, there are two major issues:

1. Their position coaches are simply not very good. Bill Kenney does an above average job w/ the TEs, but thats where it stops. Dick Anderson is several hundred years old and is clueless. His kids consistently cannot pick up blocks, and dont know who to block. Guys... there's a numbering system. Its really not all that complicated.

2. The weight program does not get these kids prepared to contest defensive players who are participating in modern, disciplined strength programs.

They are physically and mentally unprepared for competition. Who fault is this, and when are we going to stop this charade? You cannot do anything if your line sucks. Our line sucks. Always.

[ham55]

2002 it was pretty good. Since then it's been garbage.

[abpk2903]

That is a decade ago now, though.

[woninthetrenches]

Take a look at the seasons PS\U was really good. Look at the qbs, they were both very mobile. Our line wasn't that good then, the qbs scrambled and made them look better than they were.

[The Ancient Enemy]

We received another verbal, 3-star Brian Gaia. I watched Gaia's highlights. He stays pretty flat to the line, has fast feet, is a strong kid, and he's smart. He is also playing against kids a lot smaller than he is. He has upside, but so does every kid they stick on that OL. Will he get any better than what he is right now?

[ham55]

...in one word...no.