Ranking Penn State football's 25 most important players ahead of spring practice: 11-15
In the leadup to Penn State football’s spring practice, which begins next week, Blue White Illustrated is ranking the 25 most important players on the Nittany Lions’ roster ahead of the 2022 season.
Today, we continue with Nos. 11-15 on our list.
Previous segments:
Ranking Penn State football’s 25 most important players ahead of spring: 21-25
Ranking Penn State football’s 25 most important players ahead of spring: 16-20
Methodology: This list is our best attempt at ranking the players on Penn State’s roster according to their importance for the 2022 season. It is not a ranking of PSU’s best players, though on-field effectiveness will obviously be taken into account among several other factors.
Johnson’s first full season of action saw him catch 18 of his 27 targets for 212 yards and a score. He struggled at times as a blocker — especially in the run game, according to PFF’s metrics. He’s a player who could certainly end up much higher on this list at the season’s end if he starts to move closer to his athletic ceiling. Johnson seems to have had a nice winter, earning recognition from Ty Howle for five of Penn State’s seven on-field winter workouts.
Strange headlined a group of tight ends that didn’t quite live up to expectations last season, after James Franklin said before the year began that he felt like he had one of the best tight end groups in the country. He finished the season catching 20 of his 34 targets for 225 yards. Pro Football Focus gave him an 80.0 run-blocking grade and a 62.8 pass-blocking grade.
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A transfer from Cornell, Nourzad comes in as an X-Factor on the offensive line for the Nittany Lions. A right tackle for the Big Red, he’s expected to move inside at Penn State when he arrives on campus after graduating in May. Nourzad ranked second in the Ivy League for fewest tackles for loss allowed last season, and earned second-team All-American honors at the FCS level. At a position where the Nittany Lions desperately need help, it’s imperative that Nourzad hits the ground running.
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Lee is suddenly the most experienced running back in Penn State’s room, with 197 career carries to his name as he enters his third year on campus — 64 more than senior Devyn Ford. He averaged 4.8 yards per carry last season running behind an offensive line that struggled mightily, totaling 495 yards and two touchdowns. He figures to be pushed by five-star freshman Nick Singleton — among others — as the Nittany Lions sort out their running back hierarchy following the departure of Noah Cain.
Olu Fashanu looked excellent for the Nittany Lions in his cameo appearances last season, and he seems primed to be one of the young offensive linemen that Penn State will count on to raise their level in the trenches. Playing a key role protecting Sean Clifford‘s blind side in the Outback Bowl while filling in for Rasheed Walker, Fashanu proved to be a bright spot on an otherwise difficult day. He earned an 87.5 pass-blocking grade and a 69.3 run-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus analysts in his only start of the season.
