Cooper Cousins didn’t say it as a compliment. He said it as an explanation.
Cousins whose own journey has seen plenty of ups and downs saw something in new offensive line coach Ryan Clanton that most overlook.
“I don’t think a lot of people realize how difficult it is when you have several players who all had different offensive line coaches before, and then you have to come in and get everybody comfortable with your style and your system in maybe a month. Not even that. That’s incredible.”
Because from the inside, Penn State’s offensive line understands something those on the outside often overlook.
Teaching technique is one thing.
Building trust between 15 or 20 offensive linemen, with many arriving from different schools, different systems and different coaches, is something entirely different.
Clanton had barely unpacked his office after following Matt Campbell from Iowa State to Penn State before he was asked to do exactly that.
Somehow, the process never looked rushed.
“He has the ability to bring people together like nobody I’ve ever seen,” Cousins said. “I could sit here and talk technique with him all day. He really dives into why everything is important about beating your guy to the spot, the film study before we even go out onto the field. That’s huge with him.
“He’s an elite resource, and he’s an elite offensive line coach.”
That reputation wasn’t built overnight.
It followed Clanton from Iowa State, where he spent three seasons helping engineer one of the best offensive line turnarounds in school history.
When Clanton joined Campbell’s staff in 2023, Iowa State averaged just 108 rushing yards per game the previous season.
In his first year, the Cyclones improved their scoring offense, allowed only 14 sacks, which was 11th-fewest nationally, and earned a Liberty Bowl berth after finishing 7-6 and improving by five conference wins.
The progression continued.
In 2024, Clanton added run game coordinator to his title, and Iowa State responded with the first 11-win season in the program’s 133-year history. The Cyclones rushed for 160.5 yards per game, scored 25 rushing touchdowns, the fourth-most in school history, and advanced to the Big 12 Championship Game.
By 2025, the offensive line had become one of the Big 12’s defining strengths.
The Cyclones increased their rushing average again to 174.5 yards per game while finishing the season with seven consecutive 150-yard rushing performances, the program’s longest streak in nearly two decades. Carson Hansen rushed for 950 yards and Abu Sama III added 732, marking Iowa State’s first pair of 700-yard rushers since 1975.
Across Clanton’s three seasons, Iowa State surrendered just 51 sacks, the eighth-fewest among Power Four programs during that span.
The improvement wasn’t accidental and neither was the consistency.
“If you don’t clearly lay out from Day One what it takes to play here, you’re behind,” Clanton said.
“The first day of fall camp, every team goes through all the rules and regulations. Our offensive line room is actually pretty simple.
“This is how we’re going to play.
“This is what’s expected of tackles, guards and centers.
“You’re going to play multiple positions.
“You’re not going to complain about your reps or who you’re running with.”
That philosophy removes excuses before they ever have a chance to exist. Clanton believes evaluation isn’t about who runs with the first team.
“A lot of times, a guy with the second offense is going against the first-team defense,” Clanton said. “That’s actually a better evaluation than being on the first offense against the second defense. I’d rather see a guy on the twos beating the first-team defense than a starter losing to the second-team defense.”
His expectations are equally direct.
“If you don’t want to be violent and run off the football, then this probably isn’t for you,” Clanton said. “To me, that’s what makes football fun. Offensive line play is never perfect, but if you’re violent and trying to run through someone’s face, that’s requirement No. 1 for us.”
That mentality has become contagious.
Trevor Buhr, one of the transfers who followed Campbell and Clanton from Ames to Happy Valley, says what separates Clanton isn’t just his football knowledge.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.It’s how he teaches.
“One thing I really like about Coach Clanton is that he takes the time to make sure we fully understand everything we’re covering in meetings,” Buhr said. “He goes into great detail about the scheme, defensive fronts, formations – everything. He’s trying to prepare us for the NFL.
“He also treats everybody the same. Whether you’re a senior or a freshman, he coaches everyone exactly the same way. I think that’s one of the best things about him.”
That NFL preparation is nothing new.
Before arriving at Iowa State, Clanton developed NFL talent at Northern Iowa, coaching Trevor Penning into a first-round selection by the New Orleans Saints and Spencer Brown into a third-round pick by the Buffalo Bills.
His own playing career followed a similar blueprint.
After beginning at the junior college level, Clanton transferred to Oregon, where he played left tackle, left guard and right guard under Chip Kelly. He redshirted during the Ducks’ run to the 2011 BCS National Championship Game before helping Oregon win the 2012 Rose Bowl and the 2013 Fiesta Bowl. He captained the 2012 team that finished 12-1, and the Ducks posted a remarkable 36-4 record during his playing career.
Versatility wasn’t simply something Clanton learned.
It became something he teaches.
The biggest surprise, however, may not be the technical development – it’s the chemistry.
Clanton has little use for forced bonding exercises.
“Personally, as a player, I never liked forced team-building exercises where someone hands you a sheet and tells you to spend 10 minutes talking to another player,” Clanton said.
“Offensive line rooms need time together naturally. You can’t force relationships.
“The Penn State guys have done an unbelievable job accepting the transfers and the younger players, and the transfers came in humble with low egos. They’ve simply become part of the group.
“In my opinion, that’s what’s allowed this offensive line to come together faster than most.”
Cousins believes the results are already visible.
“Last year’s group was really tight, but I honestly think this year’s group is even closer,” he said.
“A lot of that is a credit to Coach Clanton and his staff. You can have a starting five that’s close, but if your entire offensive line room isn’t close, you’re going to fail. You’re never going to succeed.
“Coming into 2026, I think we have the tightest offensive line room I’ve been a part of in college. I’m super happy and super proud of every individual in that room, and I know Coach Clanton is too.
“We’re just ready to go out there and play football.”
That’s the part statistics can’t measure.
The rushing totals.
The sacks allowed.
The All-Big 12 selections.
The NFL Draft picks.
Those validate Ryan Clanton’s coaching ability.
But inside Penn State’s offensive line room, the metric players mention first isn’t yards per carry or pass-block efficiency.
It’s trust.
And if Cousins is right, that may end up being Clanton’s most important achievement yet.
