Olu Fashanu newest Penn State consensus All-American

Before Olu Fashanu landed on his return to Penn State for the 2023 season, the left tackle deeply understood his choices. A likely first-round selection in the NFL Draft, he could continue his football career as a professional and reap all of the financial rewards and success that come with it. Or, should he choose to make a final run as a Nittany Lion, he could wrap up his academic career and vie to help produce one of the best offensive lines in college football.

“It was presented as a win-win situation. Whatever I did, I’d have the full support of the coaching staff, whether I left or I came back, putting that into perspective,” Fashanu said last summer. “And also, me being so close to graduating, and with the potential that the team this year has, it was still a pretty tough choice. But, I felt like I made the right choice coming back.”

Wednesday, Fashanu bolstered that choice by etching his name into Penn State football’s storied history.

Announced as a first-team All-American by The Sporting News, Fashanu became the 41st Nittany Lion in program history to be recognized as a consensus All-American. Along with first-team recognition by the Associated Press and the Walter Camp Football Foundation, plus a second-team nod from the Football Writers Association of America, Fashanu cleared the threshold for consensus status.

And, in the process, Fashanu brought full circle a trajectory of development that he was determined to follow since his first days at Penn State.

Olu Fashanu continues upward trajectory

Arriving to the Nittany Lions for the 2020 season, Fashanu initially didn’t play in his debut campaign. Rather, earning a backup role with limited reps, his breakout came upon his first career start in Penn State’s Outback Bowl loss to Arkansas to cap the season.

From there, Fashanu’s career took off. He followed it with an All-Big Ten and All-American campaign as a sophomore in 2022, starting every game before an injury against Ohio State forced him out for final five games of the year, including the Rose Bowl. Still, the effort was more than enough to land Fashanu on many NFL Draft projections as a likely mid-first round choice for the 2023 draft.

Spurning that route, Fashanu instead chose to follow the steady progression that he’d believed brought him so much success with the Nittany Lions. Specifically, that meant relying on another season with Penn State offensive line coach Phil Trautwein.

“Coach Trautwein is a great coach. I give him all the credit in the world for my success and the success of the O-line,” Fashanu said. “He’s just the type of coach where he’ll just never give up on you and he’ll just keep harping on the little things because at the end of the day, the little things are what makes the difference.

“He’s definitely a big reason of why I’m big on never being complacent and just always finding things to work on. And he’s etched that mentality since I’ve been here as a freshman. So I give him all the credit in the world.”

Next steps

While Fashanu has not yet formally announced that he’ll forgo his final season of eligibility, he is expected to continue his career in the NFL following the conclusion of the Nittany Lions’ 2023 campaign.

And, according to the latest mock draft from ESPN, that could include rising to as high as the No. 5 overall pick. As of the latest offering, Fashanu is projected to go there to the Washington Commander as protection for quarterback Sam Howell.

“Fashanu is a smooth-moving left tackle who has allowed one sack all season at Penn State,” it reads. “The 20-year-old junior is still developing, but he has Laremy Tunsil-like potential.”