New Penn State offensive line coach Ryan Clanton knows replacing veteran tackles Drew Shelton and Nolan Rucci will be challenging but he is extremely high on several young players at the position.
Penn State offensive lineman Malachi Goodman spots for Jim Fitzgerald during a summer weightlifting session on July 14, 2025. Joe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.comThe Nittany Lions are replacing four starters, notably first-team All-Big Ten guard Vega Ioane and tackles Drew Shelton and Nolan Rucci.
New PSU offensive line coach Ryan Clanton, however, doesn’t view the Lions’ tackle room as a weakness heading into the offseason. In fact, the more Clanton talked about his young tackles, the more it sounded like the position could be a strength in the near future. Penn State offensive line coach Ryan Clanton talks with the media at a press conference at Beaver Stadium on Feb. 4, 2026. Joe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.comClanton spent the last three seasons as Iowa State’s offensive line coach and made the move east with Matt Campbell. Before that, Clanton spent five seasons at Northern Iowa, overseeing the development of future first-round pick Trevor Penning . likes the potential of redshirt freshman Malachi Goodman, the top-rated prospect in Penn State’s 2025 recruiting class. “I would say Goodman, Aliciene, Sexton are all extremely talented,” Clanton said earlier this month. “And then obviously, Kuol Kuol and Will Tompkins, those guys are super-talented, as well. They’re just very large, strong individuals. You’re going to have a pretty deep tackle room. “For us, developing tackles, that’s the least of my concerns. … We have a room that is that large and talented and long and can run. I’m excited about letting those guys kind of duke it out in spring. It will be fun to watch.”Goodman is listed at 6-6, 315. Aliciene, another redshirt freshman, is 6-7, 298. Sexton is a 6-6, 300-pound redshirt sophomore. Kuol Kuol and Tompkins are redshirt freshmen transfers from Iowa State, checking in at 6-6, 290 and 6-5, 300, respectively. When asked specifically about Goodman, a star at Paramus Catholic in New Jersey, Clanton spoke highly of the young player’s physical tools and his mental makeup. “He’s probably got the best body fat percentage to muscle mass on the team,” Clanton said of Goodman. “The way his body is built, it’s impressive. His genetics. That’s what we talked about . For him, if you had to rank his priorities, it would be, like, sleep, nutrition and supplementation.” Clanton added of Goodman: “The raw talent and the body build and honestly, a great human, too. That’s what I like about him. If you talk to him, you wouldn’t know that he was the highest-rated whatever, you know? He’s just the nicest guy. “He’s a competitor and the way he’s built, he should be a really, really talented player for a long time.”
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