Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1514597
1 4 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 4 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Offensive Lineman Anthony Donkoh Looked Peachy In PSU's Bowl Game GREG PICKEL: Penn State did not need to play as many true freshmen in 2023 as it did the year before. On the heels of PSU's 10-3 finish, which concluded with a 38-25 loss to Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl, the team's youngest returnees are still largely unknowns. That's why it's such an interesting exercise to pick a player we want to see more from this fall. My choice is offensive lineman Anthony Donkoh, who will be a redshirt freshman next season. It's not hyperbole to say that the Virginia native was overlooked to some degree when he arrived as part of last year's signing group. He was part of a heralded offensive line contingent that included five-star prospect J'ven Williams and four-star classmate Alex Birch- meier. And yet, Donkoh ended up having the most impressive season of all of them. With starting tackles Olumuyiwa Fashanu and Caeden Wal- lace opting out of some or all of the Peach Bowl, Penn State needed Donkoh to be ready to play. Position coach Phil Traut- wein had said during the season that moving him from right guard to right tackle for postseason practices would be a wor- thy endeavor. That certainly turned out to be the case. The first-year Nit- tany Lion took over for Wallace in the second half and finished with the highest grade of any Penn State offensive lineman, per Pro Football Focus. He saw action on 46 snaps, just three short of his total for the entire regular season. With his per- formance against Ole Miss, Donkoh may well have established himself as the leader of the right tackle competition heading into spring practice. Based on what we saw in the postseason, his already high ceiling can safely be lifted even higher. Transfer Receiver Julian Fleming Could Give The Lions' Passing Game A Li RYAN SNYDER: My focus at Blue White Illustrated is pri- marily recruiting, so I'm always intrigued to see which of Penn State's early enrollees emerge during spring practice and into the summer. However, this year, there's no bigger storyline, in my eyes, than former five-star in-state prospects Nolan Rucci and Julian Fleming transferring into Penn State's program for the 2024 season. Rucci's development will be something I watch closely. But because Fleming is a wide receiver, he goes straight to the top of my list. That position group remains the Nittany Lions' big- gest question ahead of next season. I do expect Penn State to attempt to add more receivers when the transfer portal opens again this spring, but for now there's a lot of pressure on Flem- ing's shoulders. Fleming has four years of experience in perhaps the best wide receivers room in the country. He was surrounded by talent at Ohio State, and the Buckeyes' depth diminished his impact. But when you dig deep into the stats, there are reasons to be encouraged. One stat that fans should love is that Flem- ing had only 6 drops during his four seasons in Columbus. Considering that he was targeted 125 times with 80 receptions, that's pretty impressive. For the sake of comparison, rising Penn State senior KeAndre Lambert-Smith had 5 drops this past season alone. Time will tell if Fleming can fulfill the five-star potential that he had coming out of high school. But in the meantime, what Penn State really needs in that room is leadership. The Nittany Lions' staff hopes that Fleming can provide it. Which Unfamiliar Player Are We Most Eager To See Take A Prominent Role In 2024? Point – Counterpoint It appears that Donkoh will challenge for the Lions' starting right tackle position during the offseason. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER Fleming dropped only 6 passes on 125 targets during his four seasons at Ohio State. PHOTO BY BILL ANDERSON