Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1503568
A U G U S T 2 0 2 3 5 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / O F F E N S I V E L I N E M E N / / / / / / / 2022 vs. 2023: Stock Up Or Down? This looks like it could be one of the better-performing stocks in Penn State's portfolio. The Nittany Lions made considerable strides last season, and this year's projected first-team unit has a combined 62 games of starting experience at the Power Five level. What's more, four of the five freshman-eligible offensive linemen on PSU's roster received four-star grades from On3, while one — January enrollee J'ven Williams — earned a five-star designation. Those players figure to push their more experienced teammates in practice and maybe even earn some game reps. The lone 2022 signee in that freshman group, redshirt frosh interior lineman Olai- vavega "Vega" Ioane, has been one of the team's fastest risers. Penn State's offensive front was ranked eighth in the country by Athlon Sports, ninth by Lindy's and 14th by Phil Steele. It's a solid group that has the potential to surpass last year's (mostly very good) performance. X-Factor Who's going to win the left guard spot in preseason camp? Of the five starting positions, it's the one with the least clarity heading into the sea- son. Landon Tengwall won the position a year ago as a redshirt freshman and made five starts, only to see his season end during warmups prior to the Michigan game in October. His unexplained injury kept him out of PSU's last eight games, opening the door for Hunter Nourzad. Nourzad, now a super senior, is moving to center this fall. That would seemingly put Tengwall in the driver's seat at left guard now that he's healthy again, but he's being challenged by redshirt junior JB Nelson. An- other player from Penn State's highly productive Lackawanna College pipe- line, the 6-foot-5, 332-pound Nelson has shown impressive versatility since arriving in State College in 2022, demonstrating an aptitude for both guard and tackle. He figures to give Tengwall a battle in August. Freshman Outlook Penn State returns ample experience on the offensive line, but that doesn't mean we won't see any freshman-eligible players this fall. In fact, we could see a lot of Ioane. The 6-foot-4, 350-pound interior lineman played in four games last fall and is all but certain to see the field at guard and/or center in 2023. Offensive line coach Phil Trautwein said Ioane is "knocking on the door to play a lot, maybe even beat someone out." The Nittany Lions have four true freshman linemen, and it wouldn't be surprising to see them get on the field this fall. The coaching staff would surely prefer to redshirt all four, and PSU can assemble a solid two-deep without having to rely on anyone from the '23 class. But injuries have a way of changing the calculus, as was the case last year when Shelton ended up playing in seven games. — Matt Herb Quick Facts Position coach: Phil Trautwein (4th season) Returning starters: C Hunter Nourzad (8 starts at Penn State), G Landon Tengwall (5), G Sal Wormley (13), T Caedan Wallace (27), T Olu Fashanu (9) Departing starters: C Juice Scruggs (26) Projected new starters: None Top reserves: C Nick Dawkins, G/C Olaivavega Ioane, G/T JB Nelson, T Drew Shelton Newcomers: G Anthony Donkoh, G J'ven Williams G/T Alex Birch- meier, T Chimdy Onoh Moved in: None Moved out: None Scholarship Players (15) No. Player Cl. Ht. Wt. CENTER 64 Hunter Nourzad R-Sr.+ 6-3 315 53 Nick Dawkins R-Jr. 6-4 321 GUARD 77 Sal Wormley R-Sr. 6-3 324 78 Golden Israel-Achumba R-Jr. 6-4 336 58 Landon Tengwall R-So. 6-6 317 63 Alex Birchmeier Fr. 6-5 301 68 Anthony Donkoh Fr. 6-5 335 TACKLE 73 Caedan Wallace R-Sr. 6-5 341 57 Ibrahim Traore R-Jr. 6-5 323 74 Olumuyiwa Fashanu Jr. 6-6 319 66 Drew Shelton So. 6-5 308 55 Chimdy Onoh Fr. 6-5 275 70 J'ven Williams Fr. 6-5 313 OFFENSIVE LINE* 56 JB Nelson R-Jr. 6-5 332 71 Olaivavega Ioane R-Fr. 6-4 350 * Expected to see action at more than one position Redshirt sophomore Landon Tengwall returned to action in the Blue-White Game this spring after missing the final eight games of the 2022 season due to an injury he suffered in warmups at Michigan. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE