Penn State Football: Projected 2-deep depth chart for 2017

Penn State football is coming off its first Big Ten title under James Franklin in 2016 and there’s plenty of returning talent.

The season is just around the corner for the Nittany Lions, and their depth chart is starting to take shape. Penn State is looking to build on a remarkable season that saw them emerge as a surprise top ten team and steal the Big Ten title from the jaws of Ohio State and Michigan.

What have they got for an encore? James Franklin returns perhaps the nation’s best talent in the skill positions, but his team is a little thin in the trenches. Let’s dive in and examine Penn State’s projected two-deep for this season on both sides of the ball.

Offensive Line

Starting tackles: Ryan Bates, Chasz Wright
Backups: Will Fries, Alex Gellerstadt

Even the best offenses have Achilles heels. The offensive line is the only question mark on the powerful Nittany Lions offense, as last year’s unit was plagued by injuries and inexperience.

Ryan Bates was impressive as a freshman, one of only two PSU linemen to start all 14 games. He’ll have a starting spot pinned down, but it gets trickier on the other side. Franklin has been juggling bodies on the line to find the best combination, and massive junior Chasz Wright seems like the front runner, but don’t be surprised if one of PSU’s projected starters at guard winds up sliding outside.

Starting center: Connor McGovern
Backup: Zach Simpson

McGovern was another freshman who benefitted from injuries across the line to see a lot of playing time. The coaching staff loves him, and he’ll be shifting over to get the first crack at replacing the departed Brian Gaia. Simpson, a former walk-on on, was the backup last season and will likely fill the same role in 2017.

Starting guards: Brandon Mahon, Andrew Nelson
Backups: Steven Gonzalez, Michael Menet

Both Mahon and Nelson have experience playing at tackle, and as such the two seniors are shoo-ins to start somewhere along the line. But given how much the staff like Bates at tackle, they’ll likely be starting the season at guard. Stephen Gonzalez is very much in the mix and could complicate things by winning the job at right guard. Keep an eye on Menet, a highly-touted redshirt freshman who is a future multi-year starter, even if he doesn’t crack the rotation in 2017.