One of the most impactful additions to Jon Sumrall’s new staff was offensive line coach Phil Trautwein. At a program that has struggled to recruit and develop offensive linemen in recent years, Trautwein brings a proven history of success in both areas.
Since 2019, Trautwein has sent 14 offensive linemen to the NFL since including ten draft picks. He’s also mentored 31 All-Conference selections over the last eight seasons across his tenures at Penn State and Boston College.
While Trautwein has landed his share of blue-chip prospects, high school rankings are not what the veteran coach looks for.
“I’m going to be real, like, five stars, four stars, aren’t why I recruit a kid, I’m going to recruit kids that love football, that want to be developed, that understand that development is first and also relationships,” Trautwein said. “If they happen to be a five-star that’s great, but if you look at my track record, the guys that I actually had as first-rounders, they were all three stars and Zion Johnson is a zero star.”
Recruiting has changed dramatically with the rise of NIL and revenue sharing. Players are being paid significant money, and determining which ones are worth that investment has become a major part of the college football offseason equation.
“It really comes down to again, their mindset, like, and who they are as a person, and are they willing to be developed, are they willing to be coached and from there,” Trautwein said. “I don’t think in every single recruit we’re going to be the highest bidder, so sometimes kids have to take a chance on me and know that I’m going to develop them and get them to the next level which is the money they really want. There’s some sell always in that but just making sure they have the right mindset, and it comes down to who they are, are they tough, are they willing to work and are they willing to work on their weaknesses and turn them into strengths.”
As a two-time national champion and All-SEC selection at Florida, Trautwein brings a unique perspective to the recruiting trail. One of the main things he preaches is technique and fundamentals. As an “average” athlete during his playing days, Trautwein had to rely on mastering the basics and outworking everyone else on the field.
“Everybody in the room right now here is more talented than me, but I would outwork them with my technique and fundamentals and so as a coach, like, I have to direct them and show them and just talk real with them and tell them things I struggled with because as a coach I still don’t have all of the answers, but I’m willing to learn, I’m willing to grow, I have the growth mindset, so while I’m learning, they are hopefully learning and they understand through relationships what it takes, because I’ve been in their shoes, technique and fundamentals will always bring you home so making sure they understand that,” Trautwein said.
Trautwein isn’t dismissing athleticism entirely. Instead, he uses his own playing ability as a baseline in the recruiting process.
“I recruit guys that are more talented than me, like, so if you are more talented than me, I’m going to recruit you. So everybody that I offered, I feel like they are more talented than me,” Trautwein added. “Are they willing to work on their kick every single day, are they willing to work on their punch, their football IQ, the things that I’m going to have to demand a lot from them. For tackles, you have to be athletic, right, I’m not super big on how long your arms are, but they do have to have some power and they do have to have some strength, but they have to be able to move laterally, be able to get to the spot. A lot of that is technique, fundamentals but they have to have some base of athleticism and just from there I can coach everything else.”
The New Jersey native values a straightforward and honest approach to recruiting. For Trautwein, there’s no sugarcoating—authenticity and relationship-building are always front and center.
“Show them what’s it’s really going to be like and demand a lot from them,” Trautwein said. “Every single day I’m going to push them, and I’m going to demand from them and if they want that then come here but I’m not going to promise anybody that they are going to start right away. We’re going to work but the one thing we’re going to do is work together and I’m going to push them and make sure they become the best versions of themselves and in my mind the hardest three to four to five years of their life.”
“As long as they want to be great, those are the kind of guys that build relationships with me, and I can push them every single day,” Trautwein added.
Talent will always come to the University of Florida—the program recruits itself to a degree. For Trautwein, the difference-maker is effort. He demands that his players outwork everyone else.
“In the O-line room, we talk about NTT – no talent things. Making sure that’s who we are, and it’s fundamentals, technique, the way we prepare, the way that we attack and approach every single day has to be on point,” Trautwein said. “No one’s gonna outwork us, and no one’s gonna come into a game out preparing us. So we just have to make sure that’s the stuff that we can control because you see at the University of Florida you’re gonna have great talent. But it’s the no-talent things that make you special and make you elite. So that’s what we’re going to do, and that’s who we’re going to be as coaches.”