Penn State’s interior offensive line picture has a lot of moving parts, but Trevor Buhr keeps showing why he belongs right in the middle of it.
The Iowa State transfer is the likely starter at left guard for the Nittany Lions, and he brings more than just size to the job. At 6-4, 318 pounds, Buhr arrived with the kind of résumé that makes coaches pay attention: two years of starting experience, 12 total starts over the last two seasons, and a 2025 campaign in which he didn’t allow a sack on 218 pass-blocking snaps.
That production is part of why Penn State viewed him as one of the bigger additions from the winter transfer portal. It also helps explain why his move to State College came with a boost of confidence. Back in the spring, Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell said of Buhr: “Trevor Buhr, we thought, was one of the best interior O-linemen in the entire country coming back.
“(He) has started for two years and (he) has played as good a football as anybody,”
Buhr said those words meant something.
“It definitely gave me a lot of confidence,” Buhr said when asked about Campbell’s comments prior to the start of spring practice.
“My relationship with the coaches, I value it a lot. Hearing them talk about me that way just sets my confidence for me. (It) really helps me kinda go out there and perform to a high level.”
The fit in Penn State’s system has only gotten stronger because of who’s coaching him now. Ryan Clanton, who worked with Buhr at Iowa State, is now Penn State’s offensive line coach, with Jackson Scott-Brown assisting him.
“He’s very smart,” Buhr said of Clanton.
“(Clanton) and our assistant O-line coach, JSB (Scott-Brown), dynamic duo.
“Clanton, what I really like about Clanton is he takes the time to make sure we understand everything that we’re going over in the meetings.
“He really goes into depth about scheme, defenses, formations. He teaches us everything, trying to help us prepare for the NFL.”
Buhr’s value is not limited to one spot. His background at center has made him especially useful in an interior group that already has options, including veteran Dom Rulli and Cooper Cousins, who is entering his third season and can line up at center or either guard spot. Brock Riker, another major winter portal addition, is expected to start at center in the opener against Marshall on Sept. 5 at Beaver Stadium.
Even with all those choices, Buhr’s flexibility stands out. He said his work at center has come naturally because the responsibilities overlap with what he has already been doing at guard.
“Our center has a lot of responsibility and I’ve been playing a lot of guard for the last couple years,” Buhr said, asked about his training at center.
“I’m right next to the center. In my head, before the play, I’m making the same calls as the center. There’s really not too much that changes.”
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