Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1514597
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 4 31 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M and held onto his freshman eligibility in 2024. Drew Shelton | Jr. Started in place of Fashanu at left tackle late in the 2022 season but saw his regular-season role reduced last fall, with Fashanu and Wallace both staying healthy all year. Shelton did start for Fashanu at left tackle in the Peach Bowl, though, and is the leading contender to replace him on a full-time basis in 2024. J'ven Williams | R-Fr. Continued to develop during a red- shirt season. He played in three games, seeing action on 49 snaps while pre- serving his freshman eligibility. Sal Wormley | R-Sr.+ Led the Penn State guards in snaps with 751 during the 2023 season and was often an immovable force inside. Wormley is a two-time All-Big Ten pick who is return- ing for one final season in State College. NEWCOMERS Eagan Boyer | Fr. Started classes at Penn State in Janu- ary after earning all-conference honors each of his last three seasons as a prep player in North Carolina. Boyer was listed as the No. 31 offensive tackle in the On3 Industry Ranking. Caleb Brewer | Fr. Expected to start out at guard for the Nittany Lions. Brewer was a high school teammate of Williams at Wyomissing (Pa.) High. Cooper Cousins | Fr. Enrolled at Penn State in January af- ter playing in the All-American Bowl. Cousins is rated as the No. 113 overall player and No. 3 interior offensive line- man in the On3 Industry Ranking. He was a three-time PIAA Class 6A All- State selection. Donovan Harbour | Fr. Will enroll this summer. Harbour played in the Under Armour All-American Game and was invited to the Polynesian Bowl. He was a three-time all-state pick in his native Wisconsin and is the No. 44 over- all interior offensive lineman in the 2024 class, per the On3 Industry Ranking. Nolan Rucci | R-Jr. Transferred to Penn State in Janu- ary after three seasons at Wisconsin. Rucci played in only six games while with the Badgers, logging 70 snaps after redshirting in 2021. Garrett Sexton | Fr. Enrolled in January after earning first-team all-state honors in his na- tive Wisconsin as a senior. Sexton is listed in the On3 Industry Ranking as the No. 156 overall player and No. 10 of- fensive tackle in the 2024 class. Penn State will have a mixture of change and continuity along the of- fense line in 2024. The Nittany Lions need two new starting tackles and also a first-time starting center. At the outside positions, Donkoh and Shelton will most likely begin spring practice as the leaders at right and left tackle, respectively. Nelson will push them both, as will incoming transfer Rucci, a redshirt junior. Williams could have a say in the matter, as well. At the inside spots, Nourzad will need to be replaced in the middle of the Nittany Lions' line, most likely by either Dawkins or Ioane. If Dawkins wins that job, expect Ioane to fight for the left guard slot with Nelson. No matter which player emerges on top, he'll be the third starting center in as many seasons for the Nittany Lions. The one offensive line position with a firmly established starter is left guard. Wormley has started 26 games over the past two seasons and fig- ures to continue holding down the position. All told, Penn State's cupboard is a bit light at tackle but manageable. The line is well stocked inside. Position coach Phil Trautwein will not have an easy task replacing Wallace and Fashanu, with the latter expected to be a top-10 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. But unlike earlier in the James Franklin coaching era, the Nittany Lions have no shortage of options. In fact, the staff will likely face some difficult decisions as they work to establish their starting five. Most of the position battles noted above figure to last well into preseason camp in August. — Greg Pickel 2024 Outlook Veteran interior lineman Nick Dawkins will battle for the starting job at center this year. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL 2024 LOOK AHEAD