All 105 is a Nittany Sports Now series profiling each Penn State football player. This edition will look at true freshman OL Alex Birchmeier.
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 301 pounds
Hometown: Ashburn, Virginia
Before Penn State: Birchmeier comes to Penn State as a high-end four-star recruit who’s the school’s highest-rated commit behind fellow offensive lineman J’ven Williams, a five-star, in-state product out of Wyomissing. At Virginia’s Broad Run High School, Birchmeier started the first varsity game of his freshman year at right guard and never looked back. Before the end of his freshman season, a point when many football players his age are still cutting their teeth Saturday mornings, Birchmeier already had offers from the University of Virginia and the University of Pittsburgh.
As a sophomore, he became a force.
His performance as an underclassman earned him a scholarship to Penn State, where he committed in July 2021.
Where he stands: For the first time in what feels like forever, Penn State has a deep and loaded offensive line. Aside from new Houston Texan Juice Scruggs, who anchored the line at center, every key contributor is back. Olu Fashanu passed up the chance to be a millionaire to come back to State. If healthy, Landon Tengwall will be a solid compliment to Fashanu on the left side at guard.
Although losing Scruggs hurts, sixth-year senior Hunter Nourzad should be a capable replacement at center. Penn State also has Williams coming in, who is projected to play tackle.
If all goes according to play, Birchmeier won’t be needed much in 2023. But if he ends up being what people expect, look out.
A quote about Birchmeier: “It’s gonna be awesome to see him run out when Penn State has a White Out, and they just lay it on Iowa or whoever the hell else wants to come into their place, and then Birch just buries their ass in the ground.” — Birchmeier’s offensive line coach, Donny Smith, to NSN.
