Phil Trautwein is heading back to where it all began. After six seasons shaping Penn State’s offensive line, the 39-year-old is returning to Florida-the program where he made his name as a player and won two national championships.
Trautwein is expected to take over as the Gators’ offensive line coach under newly hired head coach Jon Sumrall. While the official announcement hasn’t been made, all signs point to Gainesville.
Trautwein posted a photo of an alligator on his X account and swapped his profile picture to one from his playing days in the Swamp. Subtle?
Not exactly. Telling?
Absolutely.
For Trautwein, this is a full-circle moment. A native of Voorhees, New Jersey, he was a key piece of Florida’s national title teams in 2006 and 2008 under Urban Meyer.
After college, he had a brief NFL stint, appearing in four games for the St. Louis Rams in 2009 and spending time with the Browns, Saints, and Chargers.
But it’s his work as a coach that’s earned him plenty of respect across the college football landscape. After stops at Davidson and Boston College, Trautwein joined the Nittany Lions in 2020. And while the early years had their bumps-2021 in particular was rough up front-he and assistant offensive line coach Frank Leonard built the unit into one of the Big Ten’s most consistent forces.
The proof is in the development. During his time in Happy Valley, Trautwein coached seven offensive linemen who went on to be drafted into the NFL.
And he’s likely not done yet. His most high-profile success story?
Olu Fashanu, a dominant presence who became the No. 11 overall pick by the New York Jets in the 2024 NFL Draft after earning consensus All-American honors and being named the Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year.
This past season, redshirt junior Vega Ioane earned All-Big Ten first team honors from the media and second team recognition from the coaches. Three other linemen also picked up All-Big Ten honors, further underlining the depth and development within the group.
Trautwein’s recruiting work was just as impressive. Since 2021, Penn State signed 12 offensive line prospects rated as four- or five-star recruits.
That kind of haul doesn’t happen by accident. He built relationships, sold the vision, and then delivered results on the field.
Still, the 2025 season didn’t end the way the Nittany Lions had hoped. The offensive line entered the year with the Joe Moore Award-the top honor for an O-line unit-in its sights.
But the group struggled to find rhythm early, and those issues lingered throughout the season. By midyear, they’d fallen off the Joe Moore Award watch list entirely.
The team’s 3-3 start included a pivotal loss to Northwestern on October 11, a defeat that effectively ended Penn State’s College Football Playoff hopes. That loss also marked the end of James Franklin’s tenure as head coach. He was dismissed shortly after, and Matt Campbell-previously at Iowa State-was introduced as the new head coach on December 8.
Campbell didn’t waste time filling the vacancy left by Trautwein. Ryan Clanton, who coached the offensive line under Campbell at Iowa State, was already listed in Penn State’s staff directory as of Thursday.
As for what’s next, Penn State will close out the season with a Pinstripe Bowl matchup against Clemson at Yankee Stadium on December 27. Meanwhile, Trautwein returns to the Swamp, this time not as a player but as a coach with years of experience, a track record of development, and a clear passion for the program that helped launch his career.
Florida’s offensive line is getting a coach who knows what it takes to win at the highest level-and has shown he can build a unit capable of doing just that.