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Nick Krimin emerging as prime competitor at right guard

The future of the Rutgers offensive line has some promising young players and this spring has shown the emergence of redshirt freshman Nick Krimin. After watching last season from the sidelines, Krimin now looks the part of a Big Ten offensive lineman from a physical standpoint.

“I came in during last summer at 327 [pounds],” Krimin told Scarlet Nation. “I weigh 310 now, I really leaned out a lot. I lost a lot of weight but also got stronger, faster and more agile. That is really what helped me transition to being a college offensive lineman.”

At 6-foot-6, Krimin has the size to move out to tackle, but has been competing for playing time at right guard through the spring.

“Earlier on, [Offensive Line] Coach [AJ] Blazek said I could be a guard and tackle,” Krimin said. “I could switch and line up at either or. But right now, I have just been pursuing the guard position and just trying to focus on what I need to do to learn that spot.”

Through spring practice, Krimin has worked in as the first-team right guard at various points.

“Krim is doing awesome,” Blazek said. “Coming in, he is a guy who has the physical stature. He’s got all those tools. Football has become really important to him in the last couple of months; the time he spends, the questions he asks and kind of the depth at how he looks at things. He is doing a good job and I really like where he is at. He is a competitor at that right guard spot.”

And what has changed recently with Krimin?

“Maybe my mentality a little bit,” he said. “I realized with [Marcus] Applefield being out, there is competition for that starting [right guard] position. I have just been considering that and doing everything I can to earn that spot. I am just trying to do everything I can with film, staying after it. I am learning the game better, which is going to help my technique and maybe eventually earn a starting position.”

Now that Krimin is starting to log more practice time, he claimed that the offense is finally sinking in.

“It is pretty much all there, but being so young and lacking experience, it is a little bit tougher. There is just so much potential there that it is giving me a great opportunity for the future.”

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