Penn State Parts Ways With Offensive Line Coach Matt Limegrover

Editor’s Note: Penn State confirmed the report the report that Matt Limegrover will not be back in Happy Valley.

According to reports, Penn State will part ways with offensive line coach/running game coordinator Matt Limegrover. This move comes as a surprise after the Nittany Lions had their best offensive line of the Limegrover Era in 2019.

Limegrover had spent the previous four seasons as the offensive line coach in Happy Valley. Limegrover coach an offensive line that overachieved on their way to helping the Nittany Lions win a Big Ten Championship in 2016. After the offensive line struggled in 2017 and 2018, Limegrover faced a make or break season in 2019. While it appeared he passed this test, apparently James Franklin had other ideas.

This move also comes at a peculiar time with the Nittany Lions in position to land a monster offensive line haul in 2021. An offensive line haul that has been recruited by Limegrover. That is a discussion for another time, however.

While no move has been announced the logical decision here would be to promote tight ends coach Tyler Bowen to offensive line coach/running game coordinator. Bowen is a rising star in the coaching ranks and called a terrific game as interim offensive coordinator in the team’s Cotton Bowl victory over Memphis.

It is possible Penn State faced a scenario where they had to either promote Bowen or risk losing him to another job. If this was the case then choosing Bowen over Limegrover, for a variety of reasons, was the right choice.

While Limegrover was criticized at times during his tenure he did plenty of good in Happy Valley. In addition to helping the Nittany Lions win a Big Ten Championship in 2016 and coaching a strong offensive line unit in 2019, he also got Ryan Bates, Brendan Mahon and Connor McGovern to the NFL. Steven Gonzalez will likely join this trio in the league in 2020.

We wish Coach Limegrover all the best in whatever his next stop is!