Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1490816
3 0 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M KEY LOSSES Bryce Effner | T Was Penn State's ultimate utility man on the offensive line, appearing at both tackle spots last season and starting the final six games when injuries mounted. Juice Scruggs | C Declared for the NFL Draft ahead of the Rose Bowl, opting not to return for a bonus year of eligibility. Scruggs started every game at center the past two seasons. KEY RETURNEES Jimmy Christ | T | R-Jr. Helped the Nittany Lions in a pinch at right tackle late in the season, serving as a rotational backup. Nick Dawkins | C | R-Jr. Missed nearly all of the 2022 season with an undisclosed injury but is said to be making strides ahead of his third season. Olumuyiwa Fashanu | T | Jr. Opted to return to Penn State for his second season as the starter at left tackle. Injuries forced Fashanu out of action for the final five games of the 2022 cam- paign, but there was still considerable uncertainty about whether he would come back for his junior year given that he was being hailed as a likely first- round NFL Draft pick. Vega Ioane | G | R-Fr. Appeared at both left and right guard, pitching in late in the season while pre- serving his freshman eligibility. He'll play a bigger role in 2023. Golden Israel-Achumba | G | R-Jr. Was sidelined for much of the 2022 season due to injuries. Israel-Achumba has struggled to stay healthy at Penn State and has played in only three games during the past two seasons. JB Nelson | G | R-Sr. Stepped up in a big way against Indi- ana in Week 9 when starting right guard Sal Wormley had to leave the game with an injury. Nelson ended up playing in three games in his first season at Penn State after transferring from Lackawa- nna College and wasn't forced to use a season of eligibility. He is expected to see substantial playing time in 2023. Hunter Nourzad | C | R-Sr.+ Battled injuries in his first season after transferring from Cornell and ended up missing two games, but still shined for PSU. Nourzad started eight games at left guard after redshirt freshman Landon Tengwall suffered a season-ending in- jury prior to the Michigan game in Week 6. He's expected to fill Scruggs' vacated center position next fall. Drew Shelton | T | So. Had been expected to see limited ac- tion at left tackle but ended up start- ing the final five games of the year after Fashanu was injured. Shelton was im- pressive as a late-season fill-in, includ- ing in the Lions' Rose Bowl victory over Utah. His performance sets him up for a chance to make an even bigger contribu- tion in 2023. Landon Tengwall | G | R-So. Won the starting left guard spot in pre- season camp after just one year in the pro- gram but saw his redshirt freshman cam- paign end in October when he suffered an unspecified injury during warmups prior to the Michigan game. Tengwall un- Lions Will Look To Flex Their Muscle Next Fall Despite having started only nine games at the college level, left tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu was being touted as a likely first-round NFL Draft choice if he had opted to leave after his third-year sophomore season. He chose instead to return in 2023. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE OFFENSIVE LINE