In joining Charlie’s Top PSU moments, we’ve added another daily countdown feature here at quebecpenspinning. We’ll be measuring up the 50 most important players to Penn State’s success in the 2009 season. With just 5 more days until Penn State football, you’ll be getting 2 installments a day for the rest of the week.

Checking in at #8 is the veteran lineman tasked with the crucial position of protecting Daryll Clark’s blind side: Dennis Landolt.

Number: 73
Position: Offensive Tackle
Class: Redshirt Senior
Height: 6’4
Weight: 306
Hometown: Burlington, N.J.
How’d He Get Here: Landolt was a standout player in high school, from the early age of 9th grade on.  Playing at local high school powerhouse Holy Cross, Landolt became the first true freshman in more than 10 years to start on the offensive line, and didn’t give up the position in his 4 years, starting 45 consecutive games in his high school career.  While Landolt played a phenomenal defensive line, with 60 tackles and 8 sacks as a senior, it was on the o-line where he really succeeded, as was named first-team All State after going 3 years without allowing a single sack.  Rated as a 3-star prospect by both Scout and Rivals, Landolt drew significant interest from the usual schools, as he turned down scholarship offers from Rutgers, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Michigan State to choose the Nittany Lions.
2008 Results: In his second year as a starter, Landolt performed ably at right tackle on one of the best lines in the conference, if not the country.  Landolt was part of unit that ranked 14th nationally in rush yards per game, 11th nationally in total offense, and 4th nationally in allowing just 13 sacks all year.  He was named as an honorable mention All-Conference player.
What to Expect in 2009: Named to Phil Steele’s preseason All-Big Ten team, Landolt moves over to left tackle from the right side of the line for the 2009 season.  Originally, the plan was for Landolt to stay at right tackle while DeOn’tae Pannell would slot in at left tackle, but when summer practice opened, the two had flip-flopped positions, as Joe Paterno preferred Landolt’s wealth of experience at the most important offensive line position.  Landolt is, of course, just one of two returning starters on the line from 2008, and they’re both at different positions than they played a year ago.  It’ll be up to Landolt not just to protect Clark, but to ensure that a young an inexperienced line gels together, and quickly.
Random Fact: In addition to being a football standout in high school, Landolt was also a phenomenal wrestler, finishing 3rd in the state as a senior.
The Final Word: Landolt is a very good college football player.  He’s not going to be a first round draft pick, like Levi Brown, but rather, like his immediate predecessor, Gerald Cadogan, Landolt will do a fine job at left tackle.  Frankly, that position will be the least of Penn State’s worries come midseason.  The decision to play Landolt there was the right one, in my opinion, as Penn State really can not risk an injury to Darryl Clark, not with the inexperience behind him.  It’s Landolt’s job to make sure Clark’s jersey stays clean, and I think he’s up for the task.  Though the Big Ten boasts an impressive stable of defensive ends, like Northwestern’s Corey Wootton, Michigan’s Brandon Graham, and even Indiana’s Jammie Kirlew, Landolt shouldn’t be overmatched too often.