A.Q. Shipley and Rich Ohrnberger

Penn State's A.Q. Shipley and Rich Ohrnberger celebrate their 49-18 win over Michigan State giving them the Big Ten title and a trip to the Rose Bowl. JOE HERMITT/The Patriot-News

Penn State has recruited blue chip offensive linemen frequently since the turn of the century. They haven't always, or even often, turned into elite talent.

But 2004 was different.

The early part of the 2000s were not kind to Penn State, save for a 2002 trip to the Outback Bowl. While plenty can be blamed for that, offensive line recruiting could be at the top of the list.

Washouts happen at every position, but at Penn State, it seemed to have happened more often than not since 2002 in the trenches. Four-stars and five-stars generally don't miss at the rate the one's the Lions signed did, and injuries, disinterest, or something else seemed to always keep the program one step behind on the offensive line. Consider:

-Penn State signed two four-star offensive linemen in the class of 2002. Brian Borgoyn's career ended with a neck injury months after he arrived on campus, and Mark Farris' Penn State career amounted to next to nothing in terms of production.

"Everyone from Michigan to Ohio State wanted Farris," former Pittsburgh Post Gazette writer Ray Fittipaldo wrote in 2002. "Has Farris flopped or did Penn State do a poor job of developing him? That's up for conjecture. But the point is that there have been far too many Mark Farrises over the years.

"The bottom line is that the lines have not been very good for the last several years, last season excluded."

The list isn't contained to those two. In 2003, Joel Holler and Dan Mazan were four-star prospects. Holler left for Delaware in 2005, and Mazan went to Rutgers.

Names like those, top flight talents that never make a difference, kept coming. Think Antonio Logal-El in 2006, J.B. Walton in 2007, and so on.

Signed Penn State offensive line recruits since 2002 per Rivals*

2002

Robert Price

Lee Lispi

Chris Auletta

Brian Borgoyn

Mark Farris

2003

Dan Mazan

Joel Holler

2004

Gerald Cadogan

Rich Ohrnberger

Trent Varva

Austin Hinton

Greg Harrison

Wyatt Bowman

2005

Matt Lowry

Dennis Landolt

2006

Antonio Logan-El

Lou Eliades

Doug Klopacz

2007

Quinn Barham

Josh Marks

Nerraw McCormack

Ako Poto

J.B. Walton

Stefen Wisniewski

2008

Mike Farrell

Deon'tae Pannell

2009

Mark Arcidiacono

Nate Cadogan

Frank Figueroa

Adam Gress

Ty Howle

Eric Schrive

2010

Miles Dieffenbach

Luke Graham

Daquan Jones

Khamrone Kolb

Thomas Ricketts

2011

Anthony Alosi

Angelo Mangiro

Ryan Nowicki

Donovan Smith

2012

Brian Gaia

Anthony Stanko

2013



Tanner Hartman

Brendan Mahon

Andrew Nelson

2014

Brendan Brosnan

Chance Sorrell

Chasz Wright

2015



Ryan Bates

Steven Gonzalez

Sterling Jenkins

Paris Palmer

*includes only prospects listed as offensive lineman out of high school by Rivals

In 2004, though, Penn State landed Gerald Cadogan, Rich Ohrnberger, and then a defensive lineman, A.Q. Shipley. Cadogan was a three-star, Ohrnberger a two-star, and Shipley didn't have an offensive ranking, but the trio started many, many games together for the Lions and were three of the five starters in Penn State's trip to the Rose Bowl to cap the 2008 season. It was a memorable group; you probably don't remember Greg Harrison, a four-star who wasn't even on the 2007 roster despite signing in the same class.

Offensive line recruiting is an inexact science. That's indisputable. But it's also fairly clear that the Lions have, for whatever reason, struck out more often than not over the years at the position. Comparing the 2011 class to the 2010 one is a perfect example; two of the four in 2011, Angelo Mangiro and Donovan Smith, made major impacts (and Mangiro still is) on the Lions' program. In 2010, that number is just one out of five, with a noted caveat that one of them, DaQuan Jones, turned into a starting defensive lineman.

The hit rate doesn't necessarily need to be through the roof at the position, but it's vital that it stays on track. Penn State's class of 2016, which won't sign to February, has a chance to be like that 2004 group. And it has a solid foundation in front of it.

Penn State picked up its third offensive line commitment in the cycle last Friday when four-star Michal Menet picked Penn State. He joined Alex Gellerstedt, a three-star from Ohio, and Connor McGovern, a four-star from Lake-Lehman High. Like that 2004 bunch, this trio can play any number of positions, and moreso, know they could potentially anchor the line for years to come.

"That's definitely the ultimate goal," Gellerstedt told PennLive when he committed, "especially with the offensive line.

"It's such a tight knit unit, and if you get a bunch of guys that have a common goal we'll be looking go do big things with a lot of talent."

So why can this group be different?

Simply put, Penn State's recruiting philosophy on the line has changed under James Franklin. Instead of finding a slew of hulking linemen beating up high school competition on pure strength, the head coach and his staff are seeking players with frames that can be developed into the bulk needed to play in the Big Ten. Once they finish growing, then they get a position. Think Andrew Nelson, a Hershey native, or Noah Beh from Scranton. Chance Sorrell, who signed in the class of 2014, fits that philosophy perfectly, as do all three linemen verbally committed in the class of 2016; none of the three are close to 300 pounds. In time, they will be. Cadogan was a touch over 300 pounds when he signed, but Shipley and Ohrnberger were molded once they arrived.

Penn State's offensive line recruiting since 2000 has been dicey, and at times tortuous and detrimental to the program. But with a new approach, that can change.

And with any luck, the Lions are on track to build a productive offensive line for the future.