Virginia Tech kept building out its offensive line room this offseason, and one of the more intriguing additions came via the transfer portal: former Penn State lineman Michael Troutman III.
Troutman gives the Hokies a young interior option with plenty of eligibility left, joining a group that head coach James Franklin and his staff stocked with 11 offensive linemen total between the 2026 recruiting class and portal pickups.
A product of Wayne (NJ) DePaul Catholic, Troutman was a three-star recruit coming out of high school, according to 247Sports. He chose Penn State over Duke and Rutgers, along with several other programs, and arrived with a solid recruiting profile attached to his name.
247Sports had Troutman ranked as the No. 23 player in New Jersey and the No. 67 interior offensive lineman in the class. The industry-generated 247Sports Composite slotted him at No. 721 overall and No. 50 among interior offensive linemen nationally. He also had nine reported scholarship offers, including ones from Boston College, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and Texas A&M.
At 6-foot-2 and 312 pounds, Troutman doesn’t match the taller frame Franklin has been adding up front, but his build fits the center spot, the position he signed to play at Penn State. After one season in Happy Valley, he entered the transfer portal and followed Franklin to Virginia Tech.
His time at Penn State was limited. Troutman was viewed as a redshirt candidate and did not play any snaps during the 2025 season.
That’s part of what makes him such a developmental piece for Virginia Tech: a young interior lineman with size, recruiting pedigree, and room to grow. The Hokies already have an experienced starter at center in Kyle Altuner, but Troutman adds another body to the mix and another option for the future.
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