A former Penn State coach is headed back south.
Offensive line coach Phil Trautwein is “set to be hired” at Florida, his alma mater, according to a report by ESPN’s Pete Thamel. His departure from Penn State was expected after newly hired head coach Matt Campbell brought in Ryan Clanton from Iowa State, among others.
Trautwein had been with the Nittany Lion since 2020, producing a long list of NFL draft picks including Will Fries, Michal Menet, Rasheed Walker, Juice Scruggs, Olu Fashanu, Caedan Wallace and Hunter Nourzad. Prior to his arrival, the offensive line had been a weak spot on the team, producing just one NFL offensive lineman from 2016-2019 (Connor McGovern).
Trautwein played for the Gators from 2004-2008, winning two national championships. He had a four-year NFL career before getting into coaching, with stints at Boston College and Davidson prior to arriving in Happy Valley.
He is heralded for his talent acquisition and is credited as the primary recruiter for J’Ven Williams, Landon Tengwall, Cooper Cousins, Alex Birchmeier and Malachi Goodman, all considered top-100 players in their recruiting classes by the 247Sports composite rankings.
