Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1537537
A U G U S T 2 0 2 5 5 7 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 / / / / / / / PRESEASON ANALYSIS ★★★★★ National Title; ★★★★ Top 10; ★★★ Top 25; ★★ Too Unproven; ★ Major Concern STARTERS ★★★★★ Penn State is loaded, with starters return- ing at four of the five offensive line spots and a very promising young player set to fill the only vacancy. The returning starters are senior Drew Shelton at left tackle, red- shirt junior Olaivavega Ioane at left guard, super senior Nick Dawkins at center and the combination of redshirt sophomore Anthony Donkoh and redshirt senior Nolan Rucci at right tackle. The vacancy is at right guard, but former five-star prospect Cooper Cousins has shown every indication of being able to fill it capably after seeing action on offense in 15 games as a true freshman. EXPERIENCE ★★★★ The Nittany Lions return three linemen who started all 16 games last season: Ioane, Dawkins and Shelton. Those three players finished first, second and third, respectively, in snaps taken by PSU offensive players. In addition, the Lions are bringing back a pair of experienced right tackles in Donkoh (10 starts in 2024) and Rucci (six starts). Even with Cous- ins set to take over the right guard spot as a sophomore, this is a seasoned starting five. DEPTH ★★★★ The most encouraging development here is that former five-star prospect J'ven Wil- liams took a big step forward this spring and appears to be pushing for significant playing time. Williams was not quite as far along on the developmental curve as had been hoped when he arrived in 2023, but the redshirt sophomore has caught up. Now, his natural talent and positional versatility are starting to take over. Williams' emergence gives Penn State four legitimate tackle options. On the interior, swing lineman JB Nelson took his consistent second-team status as a sign and headed to Kansas State via the portal. That move created a hole in the lineup that has not yet been definitively filled. One candidate is redshirt sophomore TJ Shanahan Jr. The Texas A&M transfer has meaningful Power Four reps under his belt, though he'll need more time in the PSU strength program to reach his full potential. If anyone is going to challenge Cousins for snaps on the interior, it'll probably be the versatile Williams. OVERALL GRADE ★★★★★ Few offensive lines have the luxury of tak- ing tackles and moving them to guard. Only the most elite programs can afford to pull a high-level athlete from outside to the inte- rior in order to get him on the field faster. Mostly, teams are forced to do the opposite. Position coach Phil Trautwein has created a rare environment with so much talent that PSU can get away with stationing players like Williams at guard if necessary. Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki summed up the situation well this spring. "We are jumping off the ball," he said. "We look like a really athletic offensive line, but we're not small. We've got some big boys who can run and are powerful. It's a huge deal." It is indeed. This line could be the most talented that Penn State has assembled since the early 1990s. • Was the No. 9 overall prospect, No. 1 interior offensive lineman and No. 1 player in Pennsylvania in the 2023 cycle, per On3. NEWCOMERS OWEN ALICIENE Fr. | 6-7 | 284 • Enrolled early and had the opportu- nity to practice with the team prior to the Fiesta and Orange bowls. • Was a four-star prospect according to On3 and the No. 17 offensive tackle in the 2025 class. MALACHI GOODMAN Fr. | 6-6 | 321 • Listed as a four-star player by On3 and was the No. 34 overall prospect and No. 6 offensive tackle nationally. • Was the second-ranked player in Penn State's 2025 class, trailing only tight end Andrew Olesh (No. 29 overall). BRADY O'HARA Fr. | 6-6 | 295 • Played tight end at North Catholic High in the Pittsburgh area but moved to the offensive line after en- rolling at PSU. • Listed by On3 as a three-star pros- pect and the No. 26 player in Penn- sylvania in the 2025 class. TJ SHANAHAN JR. R-So. | 6-4 | 316 • Transferred to Penn State from Texas A&M following the 2024 season. • Earned reps at both guard and center with the Aggies in his first two years of college football, including five starts last season. • Tabbed a five-star prospect in the 2023 class and the No. 1 offensive lineman in Texas by Rivals. MICHAEL TROUTMAN III Fr. | 6-2 | 293 • Enrolled early and practiced with the Lions prior to the Fiesta and Orange bowls. • Listed as a three-star prospect by On3 as well as the No. 51 interior lineman nationally and No. 13 player in New Jersey. Drew Shelton was one of three 16-game starters for the Nittany Lions' offensive line last season. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS