Penn State football set to add another key piece this weekend
Another big piece of Penn State’s recruiting Class of 2022 is set to enroll. Offensive lineman Drew Shelton, an On3 Consensus four-star and the No. 130-ranked player nationally, will arrive on campus on Sunday, he confirmed with Blue White Illustrated.
Shelton can begin his Penn State football and academic career on Monday. He’ll join graduate transfer Hunter Nourzad, who is also expected to land with the Nittany Lions this weekend.
Shelton’s arrival marks the end of a recruiting process that began with a verbal commitment on September 4, 2020. Enamored with Penn State, Shelton laid out his reasoning for committing to James Franklin and the Nittany Lions ahead of his junior season at IMG Academy.
“Well, there were two things for me,” Shelton said upon committing. “Who wouldn’t want to win a national championship for your home state? That was one thing for me, as well as really connecting with a bunch of their coaches. Coach [Ty] Howle, Coach [Phil] Trautwein, and Coach [James] Franklin all built good relationships with me. We had a great connection. So I figured if I already knew what I wanted to do, why wait it out?
“I’ve thought about it for a good amount of time now. I didn’t really think it would happen so soon. But, about a week or so ago, I realized that I wanted to make this happen. I just knew it was the place I wanted to be. I saw campus a couple of weeks ago. Seeing that for my own eyes, I realized that it was a special place.”
Drew Shelton’s path to Penn State
In a recruiting cycle that took twists and turns after that commitment, Shelton checked out Florida for an official visit last summer, his curiosity was put to rest shortly thereafter with another visit to Penn State last June. He also decided to transfer back to Downingtown West in that time ahead of his senior season.
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“Coach Franklin told me that I’m a leader of this class and that I’m a big part of their peer recruiting,” he said. “Guys aren’t going to take me as serious when I’m still shopping myself around, especially compared to someone like Kaden [Saunders], who shut it all down.”
Now, Shelton can live out the aspirations he once envisioned for himself as a Nittany Lion beginning Sunday.
Shelton is one of five incoming offensive linemen for the Nittany Lions this offseason. Along with graduate transfer Nourzad, Shelton is joined by On3 three-star Maleek McNeil, three-star Vega Ioane, and three-star junior college transfer J.B. Nelson, who enrolled at Penn State in January.
A thin unit this spring, numbering just 11 players but reduced to single-digits at varying times due to injury absences, the reinforcements arriving this spring and summer are welcomed.
Shelton is expected to begin his Penn State career at tackle.
