Indianapolis— Olu Fashanu is one of the best offensive linemen in Penn State history.
Before this season, no Penn State OL had been a consensus All-American since Jeff Hartings accomplished that feat in 1995.
The 6-foot-6, 317-pound OT from Gonzaga College High School was a consensus All-American this season, and now is getting ready for the NFL Draft.
Levi Brown is the only Penn State OL to go in the top five, with the Cardinals selecting him fifth overall in 2006. Fashanu surely will go in the first round. It’s just a matter of where.
Replacing Fashanu at left tackle will be no easy feat, but he’s confident in the man who’s a likely candidate.
Nittany Sports Now asked Fashanu at his NFL Combine presser Saturday morning about the linemen who will be back at Penn State for the 2024 season, and he mentioned a few names. But the big takeaway from Fashanu’s answer was what he had to say about Drew Shelton.
“If everything goes right,” Fashanu said, “he should be a lot better than I ever was at Penn State.”
Penn State LT Olu Fashanu on Drew Shelton: “If everything goes right, he should be a lot better than I ever was.” pic.twitter.com/oCfdBIrK2f
— Joe Smeltzer (@joesmeltzer775) March 2, 2024
Shelton, an in-state product from Downingtown, had an interesting Penn State journey thus far.
He was thrown into a key spot early late in his true freshman season of 2022 when Fashanu missed the last five games due to injury. Shelton held his own and found himself starting in the Rose Bowl against Utah.
But this season, with Fashanu healthy and fifth-year senior Caedan Wallace holding down the fort at right tackle, Shelton found himself back in a reserve role.
So what will 2024 bring for Shelton? We’ll find out soon enough.
