Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1503568
5 0 A U G U S T 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 / / / / / / / 2 0 2 3 F O O T B A L L P R E V I E W / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / A s daily schedules go, Olumuyiwa Fashanu's has been a busy one this summer. Most days, the fourth-year junior of- fensive tackle wakes up around 8:30 a.m. and soon heads into Penn State's Lasch Building for stretching and light exercise. The session isn't intensive, but it gets his body ready for a workout later in the afternoon. He then heads back home, where breakfast and a few hours of free time await. A supply chain major, Fashanu attempts to stay ahead of his course- work, which is based around a summer academic schedule in which assignments are submitted on Sundays. After that, it's time to go back to the Lasch Building for more stretching and prep work ahead of his afternoon work- out. With his offensive line teammates, who are also some of his closest friends, joining in, the practice can include meetings, individual drills and lifting, depending on the day. Once those tasks are completed, it's off to the cold tub for recovery. That's when Fashanu turns his atten- tion to a different kind of work. "Depending on what time it is and what my schedule is looking like, Hunter Nourzad and I will probably go to the driving range to work on our golf swings," Fashanu said, referring to the Nittany Lions' super senior center. "Then af- ter that, I go back home, eat dinner and probably do some more homework. Then just chill out for the rest of the night." 'Never Get Complacent' Fashanu's summer routine would have been drastically different had he chosen the other path that was beckoning him less than a year ago. In his first season as a starter at Penn State last fall, the 6-foot-6, 319-pound left tackle quickly emerged as an out- standing performer. His play helped transform the Nittany Lion offense into one of college football's best. Throughout the team's rise, Fashanu rejected the notion that anything sig- nificant had changed about him. He had been committed to the idea of incremen- tal improvement under the direction of offensive line coach Phil Trautwein and, over time, had refined his talent and grown more consistent. He had finished his prep school career at Gonzaga College High in Washington, D.C., as a middle-of-the-pack prospect, awarded four stars by Rivals and three stars by both 247Sports and ESPN. That left plenty of room for continued growth at Penn State, and Fashanu understood once he arrived on campus that the pro- cess was going to take time. "It's pretty rare for someone to have instant, overnight success," he said. "Ev- erything in life is a process. That's some- thing that I figured out during my time here at Penn State. "My first year of playing significantly was last year, and I was here for the pre- vious two years. It takes some people less time to make that jump. For oth- ers, like myself, it takes a little bit more time. But at the end of the day, if you just stay consistent in your work, and just never get complacent, eventually you'll see results." Back for one final season at PSU, star offensive tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu looks to continue his ascent, both on the field and on the links NAT E BAU E R | NAT E . B AU E R @ O N 3 . C O M Staying The Course Even though he's only started nine games to this point in his Penn State career, Fashanu is regarded as a potential top-10 pick in next year's NFL Draft. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE