Rankl: 'I’m learning everything at the moment'

Pitt has had plenty of early enrollees through the years, but it has not been common to see offensive linemen to make that decision. It’s a little different this year with three offensive linemen making the decision to come to Pitt mid-year in Trey Andersen, Terence Enos, and Terrence Rankl.

Rankl felt the time was right to get on campus early for a variety of reasons. After a successful career at Ohio powerhouse Massillon, he was ready to make the jump this month.

“I think the linemen position is very developmental, so I think gaining weight or cutting weight is a big thing,” Rankl explained to the media on Wednesday. “Whereas a skill position, maybe a wide receiver they might have already came in at the weight they wanted to be at.”

Rankl brings a good point, as young offensive linemen often have to get their bodies right to play at the college level and it is something that can take time. Some want to cut weight, but in Rankl’s case he wants to put on some pounds before the start of the 2021 season.

Rankl said he came to Pitt at about 295 pounds and is already up to 309, and wouldn’t mind getting to 320 as an end goal. He noted six or seven peanut butter and jelly sandwiches a day is part of that process.

“I feel really skinny,” Rankl said of his own frame. “I still feel like I’m 270, but when I hit the weight room it turns into muscle.”

Another reason Rankl wanted to get to Pitt was simply that he was comfortable with everything from the campus down to the coaches. He made the decision with his family.

“It was definitely a new experience, but I was talking to the coaches and my parents talking to the coaches and they felt they were handing me off to some good people," he explained. "It was an easy transition for me.”

The world has changed of course due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rankl won’t miss out on his senior prom or walking at graduation like a normal high school student would get to do.

“I think it was pretty easy,” Rankl said of his decision to enroll early. “I made sure, I said my goodbyes to everybody from my city and everything, but they knew that this was a really good opportunity for me to get in the system early, hit the weight room early.”

Now that Rankl is in Pittsburgh, he’s trying to learn as much as he can ahead of spring practice. His high school team ran a no-huddle offense, so he’s getting used to a new system at Pitt, but feels comfortable with what’s he’s been taking in to this point.

“It’s pretty much the same concepts: mid-zone, wide-zone,” he said. “Same pass protection, which way we’re sliding, so from that it hasn’t been that hard to transition the knowledge.”

Rankl said veterans like Carter Warren and Jake Kradel have been the leaders of the offensive line group to this point and have been helping his transition.

“I guess you could say it’s like drinking water out of a fire hydrant,” Rankl said of learning the college game and all that comes with it. “It’s a lot of information at once, but the coaches go slow and they make sure that you have everything that you need to learn everything, so from that standpoint has been good.”

As for a position, Rankl is just trying to make himself as versatile as possible. He lined up at tackle in high school, but said he wants to learn everything he can at Pitt.

“I’m learning everything at the moment,” he said. “Everybody is just taking me under their wing and I’m just learning every position from center to tackle.”